Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[perspectives]

Hi,

What does 'You can't win with a losing hand.' mean? Could you please make some sentences for me to understand it. Thanks!

[Lorikeet]

It probably refers to card games, like bridge, gin, etc. If your hand (the cards you have) is a bad one, you can't win. (Notice, poker is different because you can fool someone into thinking your hand is good.)

Sometimes we use that idea for other things that aren't related to cards. For example, in life you have to work with the hand you are dealt. (You have to do what you can with the intelligence, circumstances, physical attributes, etc, that you have.)

[perspectives]

Thank you for your help, Lorikeet.

It is in fact derived from the lyrics of Bob Dylan's Things Have Changed.
I have another question related to this:

I hurt easy, I just don�t show it
You can hurt someone and not even know it
The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity
Gonna get low down, gonna fly high
All the truth in the world adds up to one big lie
I�m in love with a woman who don�t even appeal to me

I was wondering what 'get low down' and 'fly high' mean here?
I've looked up the dictionary but there seemed to be many usages that I was not so sure of. In this context, could 'get low down' mean 'become depressed and could not pull oneself together'? Also, 'fly high' means 'to be elated' or 'to be ambitious', but in this context, could it mean that one could be successful like he's in the nine clouds according to the previous sentence 'The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity'?

Could you and any other members help me out with this stanza?

Thank you and other memebers in advance.