| Never hit 17 when you play against the dealer |
| For you know that the odds won’t ride with you |
| And never leave your woman alone when your friends are out to steal her |
| Years are gambled and lost like summer wages. |
| And we’ll keep rollin on’til we get to Vancouver |
| And the woman that I love who’s living there |
| It’s been 6 long months and more since I’ve seen her |
| She may be gambled and gone like summer wages. |
| And all the beer parlors all down along Main Street |
| The dreams of the seasons are all spilled down on the floor |
| All the big stands of timber just waiting for falling |
| And the hustlers sitting watchfully as they wait there by the door. |
| So I’ll work on the towboats In my slippery city shoes |
| Which I swore I would never do again |
| Through the worst fogbound straits where the cedars stand watching |
| I’ll be far off and gone like summer wages. |
| Ah, she’s a woman so fine I may never try to find her |
| For good memories of what we had before |
| They should never be changed for they’re all that I’ll take with me |
| Now I’ve gambled and lost my summer wages. |
| Years are gambled and lost like summer wages. |