Dolly Parton: Gamble Either Way

(Dolly Parton)

Being born was the worse and the first mistake I ever made
The doctor didn't spank me, he just slapped me in the face
And the cup of love was always quenching someone else's thirst
Leaving me to swallow the bitter taste of hurt
'Cause I was raised an orphan
Never wanted as a kid until the year I turned 13
Then everybody did, strangers pass me back and forth
Men just took me as they pleased
And others had a Cinderella slave to cook and clean and weep

Though the deck is stacked against you
Win or lose, you have to play
The hand a life has dealt you
And It's a gamble either way

On a dust road at 15 in a yellow cotton dress
With the desert sun like an angry dragon breathing down my neck
And the dry cracked plains would make me think of a prehistoric time
Or should I fear what lay before me less than what I'd left behind
A 15 year old girl don't have no trouble hitching rides
But sometimes when you're riding free
You'll pay the highest price
On back roads and in back seats
And in a cheap highway motel
But what's a few more strangers in a life of nothing else

Though the deck is stacked against you
Win or lose, you have to play
The hand a life has dealt you
And It's a gamble either way

16 caught me crying, underneath the scarlet light
On the door steps of a stranger on a cold and rainy night
When I walked into the parlour here
Other pieces seemed to fit
I was good at pleasing strangers
So I made the most of it

Either way it's all a gamble
So view the stakes and know the odds
And lay your cards upon the table
Do all the dealing from the top

Though the deck is stacked against you
Win or lose, you have to play
The hand a life has dealt you
And It's a gamble either way