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