Fluorescent hum above the dealer's hands
Chips stack tall like hymnals in the stands
I count outs the way I counted beads
Each fold a confession the table reads
Green felt prayers rise in smoke rings slow
House lights bleed where midnight shadows grow
No saint waits at the end of this deal
Just the turn and the river's steel
Cocktail glass leaves rings on polished wood
Regulars drink like it does them good
The pit boss watches with a priest's calm eye
Blessing each bet before the dice can fly
Green felt prayers rise in smoke rings slow
House lights bleed where midnight shadows grow
No saint waits at the end of this deal
Just the turn and the river's steel
I came in with rent money and a name
Now both are written in the losing game
The ace of spades don't care who holds the card
It cuts the same for the soft and hard
Green felt prayers rise in smoke rings slow
House lights bleed where midnight shadows grow
No saint waits at the end of this deal
Just the turn and the river's steel
Altos hum in the ventilation shaft
Singing comps and room rates on my behalf
Comps don't cover what the night has cost
Every win's a debt I haven't lost
The shoe runs cold the shoe runs hot
Faith is just a chip I haven't got
I'll color up when the morning breaks
Walk out clean for my own sake
Parking garage holds the dawn's first gray
Steering wheel warm where my fingers lay
Radio picks up a gospel choir
Singing mercy through the static wire
Green felt prayers rise in smoke rings slow
House lights bleed where midnight shadows grow
No saint waits at the end of this deal
Just the turn and the river's steel
Green felt prayers rise in smoke rings slow
House lights bleed where midnight shadows grow
Engine turns over homeward bound
Best hand I've played is driving out
