Oh Dang! This is an easy one.
I could be on the verge of a severe existential crisis, and the vocal fry of “On a warm summer’s evening, on a train bound for nowhere,” – this is the panacea for all my woes.
That silver fox, Kenny Rogers tells the story of a gambler who is dying, but he must impart a life-lesson to his train car mate.
My father, who had been a member of a barbershop quartet, fancied himself quite the crooner. He was also fascinated by cowboy lore, so he took this diddy as his personal anthem. If he had a walk-out song, it would have been The Gambler by Kenny Rogers.
My mother was also a dedicated KR lover, but for very different reasons. She thought God made several men just for her pleasure, and her hall passes included such hunks as Burt Reynolds, Tom Selleck, and, of course, Kenny Rogers. You know, the whole “save a horse” scenario?
The vinyls came out on Sundays, and I loved hearing my parents sing along with Larry Gatlin, Kris Kristofferson, and, of course, Kenny Rogers. Those were magical days. Kenny decorated our lives back then.
When Kenny sings, “know when to hold ’em,” I can hear my dad’s happy lilt, “when to hold ’em” in repeated reply. I can’t help but grin. I miss the days of walking to the Sac-n-Pac with 75 cents to buy momma her cigarettes and maybe some Charlie’s Angels or Elvis trading cards (yes, those were a thing).
Whistful nostalgia indeed. I am still smiling all these years later. There is nothing like the 70’s in Orange, Texas, in my estimation.
The Gambler will forever be my portal. “I found an ace that I can keep.” I gotchu Kenny.
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