Released: May 2, 1983
Songwriter: Dolly Parton
Being born was the worst 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
Because 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 weave
Though the deck is stacked against you
Win or lose, you have to play
The hand that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
On a dusty 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
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 cheap highway motels
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 that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
Sixteen, caught me crying, underneath the scarlet lights
On the doorsteps of a stranger on a cold and rainy night
When I walked into the parlor here, all the 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 that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
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
Because 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 weave
Though the deck is stacked against you
Win or lose, you have to play
The hand that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
On a dusty 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
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 cheap highway motels
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 that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
Sixteen, caught me crying, underneath the scarlet lights
On the doorsteps of a stranger on a cold and rainy night
When I walked into the parlor here, all the 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 that life has dealt you
And it's a gamble either way
more tracks from the album
From the album
- Burlap & Satin (1983)
Dolly Parton popular songs
- Jolene
- 9 to 5
- Coat of Many Colors
- I Will Always Love You
- Just Because I’m a Woman
- Here You Come Again
- From Here to the Moon and Back
- Cracker Jack
- Girl in the Movies
- Dumb Blonde
- Rockin’ Years
- Do I Ever Cross Your Mind
- Little Sparrow
- Here I Am
- The Bridge
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Before the Next Teardrop Falls
- Two Doors Down
- Red Shoes
- When Life Is Good Again
- Me and Little Andy
- Hard Candy Christmas
- Eagle When She Flies
- Joshua