Today's Burning Question
Does the gambler die that night on the train? [32 votes total]

Yes (27) 84%
No (5) 16%


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Posted By: Mary E. Warneka

Posted On: Sep 30, 2005
Views: 703
dead asleep?

wow. i was really thinking that the gambler had mentally/spirirutally broken even and decided to leave the game, not life. but seeing the lyrics really swayed me towards "dead". plus, if the muppets portrayed it that way??? would they purposefully lead millions of young children astray? i hope not. the muppet show was my church.


Posted By: Underblog

Posted On: Sep 30, 2005
Views: 707
Know When to Fold Em

I think BWA needs to know when to fold em. Clearly the dealin is done.


Posted By: james

Posted On: Sep 29, 2005
Views: 727
totally dead

upon further review my belief in a dead gambler has become rock hard. if you note in the chorus kenny sings that "there will be time enough for countin' when the dealin' is done". this establishes mr. rogers as more of a poet (abstract, digs on metaphores) than a nonfiction writer (cold hard concrete facts). no self respecting gambler would begin counting his/her money as soon as the cards were dealt. you have to play poker (or occasionally texas crazy legs) - if you are counting your money you will miss your opponents sweet "tells". when kenny later mentions the gambler "breaking even" he doesn't mean that he literally "broke even" (they weren't even playing cards - plus at this point in the story the gambler was asleep (see also: "the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep"). Kenny is describing a man's death, a man who is so devoted to gambling that he calls himself "the Gambler" and as a poet he describes this death in the way that his new gambling buddy would most appreciate. also, train rides are hard on old people.


 
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