Woodbox Gang - Games Of Chance

band : woodbox gang
album : trashcan americana

games of chance

verse 1
G
a blind man cheats at cards
Em
he’s no remorse and no regard
C D G
i pull my pistol but still i cannot advance
G
no matter where i aim
Em
the laws will hold me in the blame
C D G
for shooting from behind in a game of chance
D
i leave him there this time
Em
to keep my dollar and my dime
C D G
instead i guzzle all the booze i can finance
D
i feel it in my gullet
Em
whiskey burning like a bullet
C D G
in the balls of cheaters in the games of chance

verse 2
some sucker takes a chair
his monkey stands back by the stairs
and jingles coins inside the pockets of his pants
the blind man’s busy shuffling
sucker’s pipe is busy puffing
monkey is staring anxious for the game of chance
sucker hisses “i’ll be damned”
as blind man rakes in the first hand
the monkey’s lost the will to keep a steady stance
the blind man shuffles once
the sucker sucks his pipe and grunts
the church bell is clanging cursing at the game of chance

verse 3
blind man ante’s up and sits
the sucker sucks his husk and sits
the sun is dying wrecking picnics and romance
the monkey is walking up to me
he’s got chaw between his teeth
he says “church bells never ring for games of chance”
the sucker throws his ante down
the blind man deals another round
i watched the sucker give his monkey friend a glance
he’s squirming like a slug
among the company of thugs
who pass the salt around at every given chance

verse 4
sucker folds with sweaty palms
a storm is erupting from the calm
the suckers tongue is talking as if in a trance
with eyes like falling stars
the blind man deals out five more cards
the thunders rolling like the dice in games of chance
the sucker looks in terror
grabs his pistol for the error
all because he holds the same cards in his hands
two jacks and three of a kind
“another full house” says the blind
“how lucky can you be in games of chance”

verse 5
the blind man’s awful laugh
provokes the sucker’s awful wrath
i watched the monkey and the sucker both advance
and through that battle cloud
i swear that i could hear the shouts
of two men hustled by the god of games of chance
the smoke cleared with no sucker
monkey or blind man at poker
and outside looked like a hurricane had danced
what remained from the attack
was three sixes and two jacks
the final hand in the final game of chance