Slow down, we've got time left to be lazy
All the kids have bloomed from babies into flowers in our eyes
We've got fifty good years left to spend out in the garden
I don't care to beg your pardon, we should live until we die
We were barely eighteen when we crossed collective hearts
It was cold, but it got warm when you barely crossed my eye
Then you turned, put out your hand, and you asked me to dance
I knew nothing of romance, but it was love at second sight
I swear when I grow up I won't just buy you a rose
I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely
For even if the sun stops waking up over the fields
I will not leave, I will not leave 'til it's on time
So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side
It was the winter of eighty-six, all the fields had frozen over
So we moved to Arizona to save our only son
And now he's turned into a man, though he thinks just like his mother
He believes we're all just lovers, he sees hope in everyone
And even though she moved away, we always get calls from our daughter
She has eyes just like her father's, they are blue when skies are gray
And just like him she never stops, never takes the day for granted
Works for everything that's handed to her, never once complained
You think that I nearly lost you when the doctors tried to take you away
But like the night you took my hand beside the fire thirty years ago
'Til this day, you swore you'd be here 'til we decide that it's our time
But it's not time, you never quit in all your life
So just take my hand and know that I will never leave your side
You're the love of my life, you know that I will never leave your side
You come home from work, and you kiss me on the eye
You curse the dogs, you say that I should never feed them what is ours
So we move out to the garden, look at everything we've grown
And the kids are coming home so I'll set the table; you can make the fire
About This Song
"The Gambler" is a wistful meditation on love, aging, and the bittersweet passage of time that captures the romantic idealism of youth while acknowledging life's inevitable uncertainties. The song follows a narrator reflecting on a pivotal moment of young love-meeting someone at eighteen and making promises about their future together-while grappling with the realization that life rarely unfolds as planned. Beneath its gentle, folk-influenced indie rock arrangement, the track explores themes of commitment, the gamble inherent in all relationships, and the tension between youthful optimism and adult pragmatism. The lyrics weave together intimate moments of courtship with broader existential questions about whether love can truly last "fifty good years" as promised. Fun.'s signature orchestral flourishes and Nate Ruess's earnest, soaring vocals create a nostalgic atmosphere that feels both celebratory and melancholic. The song's title metaphor suggests that love itself is a gamble-a leap of faith taken without guarantees-and the narrator seems to be looking back on that gamble with both fondness and uncertainty. The track resonated with listeners because it captured the universal experience of making grand romantic promises in youth while questioning whether such idealism can survive the complexities of real life. Its blend of indie rock authenticity with pop sensibilities helped establish Fun.'s distinctive sound that would later achieve mainstream success.
Comments (17)