The lyric from Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” finishes with “away.” The chorus presents four pieces of advice about knowing when to continue, quit, leave, or act decisively.
“The Gambler” was written by Don Schlitz and first recorded by other artists before Kenny Rogers made it famous. Rogers released his version in 1978, and it became one of his signature songs. The narrator learns life lessons from an older gambler during a train journey.
The song uses poker vocabulary as a metaphor for decision-making. “Hold ’em” and “fold ’em” refer to keeping or discarding cards, while “walk away” means leaving a losing situation. The final instruction, “know when to run,” completes the sequence with a stronger warning.
A common mix-up is confusing “walk away” with “walk on,” since both phrases appear in familiar song lyrics. Rogers’s recording reached number one on the Billboard country chart and crossed successfully into the pop market. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.