Within the catchy tune and soulful melodies of the song The Gambler by Kenny Rogers, there is a very impactful life lesson and several analogies to the theme of ‘the pursuit of happiness’. This lyric poem is a skilled example of how to tell a story and engage listeners from the start of the first verse, as well as leaving them thinking about Kenny Rogers message. The pursuit of happiness is addressed in several different elements, such as the fact that they are both “on a train bound for nowhere” (line 1), the gambler suggests that you have to know when to give up and when to keep fighting, and counting what you have when the game isn’t over is pointless. The pursuit of happiness is something that we all struggle with at some point in our
…show more content…
The train, which is supposedly bound for nowhere, is symbolistic of how on this road to find somewhere we are truly mirthful there are often times when we loose our way and things start to feel pointless. It also represents how sometimes we must loose ourselves and walk away from what we deem ‘normal’ to find ourselves. The train would have a destination, but to the narrator, the destination doesn’t matter because he seems to feel as if he doesn’t have a purpose. The chorus of this song also has several odes to trying to find happiness. The gambler offers the narrator some advice, which includes the suggestion that you have to know when to keep fighting and when to give up, and when things are bad enough that you have to know when to run. These two lines are representational of letting go of the people and places that are holding us back, and that sometimes you have to know when it’s time to let things go. In the pursuit of happiness, it is important to have the ability to make a judgement on what someone adds to your life, and these lines are clear messages that you have to know when you can win a fight and when its time to simply walk away. Furthermore, the gambler also suggests that “every hand’s a winner and every hand’s a loser” (line 19) which could also mean that you have to know that you can make anything out of your life, it just
The train, which is supposedly bound for nowhere, is symbolistic of how on this road to find somewhere we are truly mirthful there are often times when we loose our way and things start to feel pointless. It also represents how sometimes we must loose ourselves and walk away from what we deem ‘normal’ to find ourselves. The train would have a destination, but to the narrator, the destination doesn’t matter because he seems to feel as if he doesn’t have a purpose. The chorus of this song also has several odes to trying to find happiness. The gambler offers the narrator some advice, which includes the suggestion that you have to know when to keep fighting and when to give up, and when things are bad enough that you have to know when to run. These two lines are representational of letting go of the people and places that are holding us back, and that sometimes you have to know when it’s time to let things go. In the pursuit of happiness, it is important to have the ability to make a judgement on what someone adds to your life, and these lines are clear messages that you have to know when you can win a fight and when its time to simply walk away. Furthermore, the gambler also suggests that “every hand’s a winner and every hand’s a loser” (line 19) which could also mean that you have to know that you can make anything out of your life, it just