Dick Gaughan Follow

I met him at a roadside truckers' stop
On a long road late at night
The stink of death on his whisky breath
Clutching his bottle tight
He said "Kid, I see you're a travelling soul
You've a guitar player's look
Well, I've paid my dues and I'm telling you
This game is run by crooks"
He said, "Nobody ever glared at me
And snarled, 'I'm going to rip you off'
No, they all wore smiles that stretched for miles
Dressed up like regular toffs
They were all going to make me famous
They were all going to make me a star
And when I went home on the 23 bus
They took off in their Jaguars"
Lucky for some
Rolling with loaded dice
Lucky for some
Gambling with others' lives
Lucky for some
Dealing from a marked-up deck
They make their luck
By ripping off everyone else
He said, "I've been there, done it, seen it all
Had my name in lights outside the halls
I've watched them rise and I've watched them fall
With the hustlers on their tails
I've seen modest talent hailed as genius
Cloggers dressed as dancing queens
Gold lamé switched for denim jeans
In a desperate search for fame"
He said, "The flash kids with the flashing teeth
And the dollar signs for brains
They know every trick, every sleight of hand
In this vicious little poker game
So if you think you can play a hand with them
Just bear one thing in mind
An AK47 beats a Full House
Every time"