i wanted more from life than four kids and a wife and a job in a dark kentucky mine a twenty acre farm with a shacky house and barn thats all i had and all i left behind but at gambling i was lucky and so i left kentucky and left behind my woman and my kids into the gay casino in nevada s town of reno this kentucky gambler planned to get rich quick kentucky gambler who s going to love your woman in kentucky yeah and who s going to be the one to give her everything she needs kentucky gambler who s going to raise your children in kentucky who s going to keep them fed and keep them shoes on their feet there at the gambler s paradise lady luck was on my side and this kentucky gambler played just right hey i won at everything i played i really thought i had it made but i should have quit and gone on home that night but when you love the greenback dollar sorrow s always bound to follow and reno s dreams fade into neon amber and lady luck she ll lead you on she ll stay awhile and then she s gone you better go on home kentucky gambler but a gambler never seems to stop till he loses all he s got and with a money hungry fever i played on i played till i d lost all i d won i was right back where i d started from then i started wanting to go home kentucky gambler there ain t nobody waiting in kentucky when i ran out somebody else walked in kentucky gambler looks like you ain t really very lucky and it seems to me a gambler loses much more than he wins much more than he wins