Lay Them Down [Tommy Shaw]

Lay Them Down
Written by Tommy Shaw
Lead Vocals by Tommy Shaw

Mischief in motion
Seemed innocent enough
Wild-eyed devotion
Now you can't give it up

Back on your feet again
You call it luck
You'd justify anything
Rather than give it up

It should not have to be so hard
If you don't see it in the cards

Lay them down, lay them down, lay them down
You don't need them any more
Lay them down, lay them down, lay them down

The only prayer the gambler prays
Is that his face won't show his hand
He's perfected a way
To shut out everything

There's a fire where the children are
But you refuse to see the flames
They try to warn you baby
But you won't leave your game

You can't think of folding your hand
You can't think of walking away
Not 'til you win one more game
Then you won't need it any more
Won't need any more

It should not have to be so hard
If you don't see it in the cards

Lay them down, lay them down, lay them down
You don't need them any more
Lay them down, lay them down, lay them down
Put them down!

You can't think of folding your hand
You can't think of walking away
Not 'til you win one more game
Then you won't need it any more
Won't need any more

It should not have to be so hard
If you don't see it in the cards

Lay them down, lay them down, lay them down
You don't need them any more
Lay them down, lay them down, lay them down

Interpretation

Gambling addiction can be hard to break.  It starts innocently but can quickly drag you down. It can destroy a family, as suggested by the lines "There's a fire where the children are, but you refuse to see the flames. They try to warn you baby, but you won't leave your game."