Moonlight Gambler

Album

Single

Label

Columbia Records

Genre

Dance-pop

Composer(s)

Bob Hilliard;Phil Springer

Entered Chart

Dec 1, 1956

Peak Date

Jan 19, 1957

Released

October 29, 1956

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

Columbia 40780

B-Side

Lotus Land

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"Moonlight Gambler" is a song written by Bob Hilliard and Phil Springer and performed by Frankie Laine featuring Ray Conniff and His Orchestra. It reached #3 on the U. S. pop chart and #13 on the UK Singles chart in 1957. The single ranked #32 on Billboard's Year-End top 50 singles of 1957. The song begins with a spoken recitation by Laine saying: "You can gamble for matchsticks,/ You can gamble for Gold,/ The Takes may be heavy or small,/ But, if you haven't gambled for love and lost,/ Then you haven't gambled at all"/ Which is repeated when sung in the Bridge section of the song. Laine's version also features a whistler and a clip clopping sound, too.

You can gamble for match sticks, you can gamble for gold
The stakes may be heavy or small
But if you haven't gambled for love and lost, you haven't gambled at all

They call me a moonlight gambler
I've gambled for love and lost
When I gamble for love and it isn't in the cards
Oh, what heartaches it can cost me

Win or lose, I'm a moonlight gambler
And a winner is what I long to be
So I'll gamble for love just as long as I live
Till the day Lady Luck smiles at me

You can gamble for match sticks
You can gamble for gold
The stakes may be heavy or small
But if you haven't gambled for love and lost
Then you haven't gambled at all

No, if you haven't gambled for love in the moonlight
Then you haven't gambled at all

So I'll gamble for love just as long as I live
Till the day Lady Luck smiles at me

They call me the moonlight gambler
They call me the moonlight gambler