Cold White Christmas

Cap and gown in purple and gold
You're 22 years old and a woman now you're told
Aunt Beth & Charlie cut a check for the graduating niece
And 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
And you trudge to work through the snow in a coat down to your knees
And you linger at the twinkle lights as you pass by the mall
And count the days to a cold white Christmas in St Paul

Feather down the nights get so cold
And 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 and 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