Christmas Song

[Verse 1]
Grab the weed, I got a story to tell
A couple years ago, it was Christmas night back in my hometown, Wells
The snow fall, about an inch an hour
And on the road just our pickup truck and snowplows
After familial obligations
Me and my man Phil met up to start blazin'
Around 8 sparked the back woods, on the back road
The wind chill blew the snow like Satchmo
I asked "How was your Christmas?", he said "it sucked"
I asked "Why?", he said, "Man, my sister's fucked
And if that slut died tonight, it wouldn't be enough"
I asked for an explanation, he just took another puff
Handed it to me, I told him "Mine wasn't better
I just got a couple corny-ass sweaters
And my family embarrassed me, because apparently
Getting arrested twice in a month is worthy of a parody"
Just then, turned onto Bear's Den
Saw a whip with a woman and a kid in it, in a ditch
Volkswagen the color of cocaine
With the front end buried inside a snow bank
Temperatures near zero man, it isn't May
No reception out here to call Triple A
It's safe to say if Phil and I hadn't drove by, this lady and her son could've frozen and died
We put the woods in the ashtray
Stopped the truck, put the gloves on, hopped out of the shit and walked that way
We asked if we could help, she said "Oh, thank God, yes"
She looked blazed herself
Her son shivered in the passenger, wearing a seat belt, he looked to be about 12
We said "No prob," The son said, "You're our guardian angels"
We laughed and moved the truck at an angle
We hooked the chains up and put her in drive
We had 'em out faster than a first pitch pop fly
It was all thank-yous, and huggin'
Could've sworn I smelled Rum on the breath of the woman
Nonetheless, I gave her son a high-five, said bye
Hopped up in the truck and drove into the night
Never told anybody about the good deed of the two dudes in hoodies
I wish the story ended there

[Verse 2]
I awoke the next morning with the sun
Reflecting off the snow in the yard out front
I felt fine in my flannel sheets
The day after a snowstorm tends to bring clarity
And a shitload of shovelin'
I was still living in the home that my mother's in
I pulled the covers off, I felt quite alive
As I reached for my phone that I had on silent
And this was years ago now, but I recall
I saw 16 texts, 31 missed calls
I knew something was awry
I ran downstairs, mom tears in her eyes
And her mouth agape staring at the TV
I said "What happened?", I knew something was creepy
She just pointed at the screen
I walked down next to her to see
And I saw it
"Two dead in a drunk driving crash in Wells
A woman, 22, and boy, age 12
One survivor was in critical condition"
It was the mother of the boy, they think she had been drinking
The scene on the screen looked grimy
A white Jetta bisected by a pine tree
In the background a green jeep flipped
I put my hand to my mouth and said "Jesus"
As I recognized the Sugarloaf sticker
On the back of the jeep that belonged to Phil's sister
The whole scene flashed blue and red lights
Illuminating Christmas night
My heart sunk like a plane with no wings, because I understood the whole thing
My heart sunk like a plane with no wings... broken
I mean, what if we had left 'em in that ditch?
What if we never burn-cruised and we were good kids?
What if Phil was a bad dude like everybody thought
Because he sold pot?
And we had never even stopped and helped them?
What if I had questioned that mom?
What if Phil's sister and the boy weren't gone?
What if that right that we did wasn't wrong?
And what if? And so on and on, until the break of dawn

[Interlude]
Just another Christmas song
On and on
Life goes on and on
Just another Christmas song
On and on
Life goes on and on
Life goes on
Just another Christmas song
On and on
'Til the break of dawn
This is just another Christmas song

[News Reporter]
In the news this morning, a car crash on Bear's Den Road in Wells has left two people dead. It happened shortly before midnight. Lisa Richards of Kittery lost control of her Volkswagen Jetta and slammed into another car traveling in the opposite direction. The driver of the second car, Amanda Powell, was killed instantly, as was Lisa Richards' twelve-year-old son. Police say Richards was drunk. In a terrible twist to this story, Richards had gone off the road earlier on the snowy evening and struck a snowbank. Two men happened by in a pickup truck and helped haul her out and get her back on the road. They had no idea she had been drinking. One of those men is the brother of Amanda Powell, the woman police say Richards killed