Cold White Christmas

cap & gown in purple & gold

you're 22 years old & a woman now you're told

Aunt Beth & Charlie cut a check for the graduating niece

& you marked your independence with a signature on a lease

but home was a photograph you taped to your wall

it's gonna be a cold white Christmas in St Paul

beer for breakfast who's gonna scold

you've got your early hours dulled by the cigarettes you rolled

second shift as a fry cook that's your holiday in grease

& you trudge to work through the snow in a coat down to your knees

& you linger at the twinkle lights as you pass by the mall

& count the days to a cold white Christmas in St Paul

feather down the nights get so cold

& you ignore the smell of mold as you smooth out the folds

when you're on your own you've got no one to please

in a Minnesota city just as bare & as mean as the winter trees

but you'll be damned if you're the one making collect calls

on a cold white Christmas in St Paul

yeah it's a cold white Christmas in St Paul