The Nuclear Gambler Poem by Gaston Belanger

On a radioactive summer's eve

On a train bound from nuclear Hell

I met up with a Uranium gambler

We were both too contaminated to sleep

So we took turns a-starin'

Out the window at the meltdown disaster 

The fear overtook us, he began to speak

He said, 'Son, I've made a life

Out of polluting' people's places

Knowin' what the odd's were

By the fear they had in their eyes


So if you don't mind my sayin’

I can see you got fear in you're eyes

For a taste of your uncontaminated water

I'll give you some advice'

So I handed him my bottle

And he drank down my last swallow

Then he bummed my last joint

And asked me for a light

And the night got deathly quiet


And his faced lost all expression

He said, 'If you're gonna play the nuclear game, boy

You gotta learn to play it right

You've got to know when to bullshit 'em

Know when to not tell ‘em

Know when to walk away

Know when to run

You never count your blood money

When you're sittin' at the NRC table

There'll be time enough for countin'

When the death dealin's done

Every nuke reactor gambler knows

That the secret to money survivin’

Is knowin' how many MOX rod's to use

And knowin' how many are in the pool

'Cause every bad water pump's a loser

And every meltdown a potential ELE

And the best that you can hope for

Is to die in your sleep'

And when he finished speakin'

He turned back toward the window

Took one more hit off the Ganja fatty


And faded off to into Cesium's death

And somewhere in the darkness

The gambler he never broke even

And in his final words

I never found faith that I could keep
You've got to know when to cold’em

Know when to shut 'em down

Know when to walk away

And know when to run

You never count your blood money

When you're sittin' at the NRC table

There'll never be time enough for countin'

When death dealin' radiation's done