Over the Rhine - First Snowfall Lyrics

The Christmas decorations
Look ragged and rusty
A little sooty with coal dust
Santa's missing an eye

The neon sign flickers
On the cinder block tavern
By the Salvation Army
And the plumbers supply

The old downtown mission
Has John 3:16 painted
In all capital letters
Above cans full of trash

But the paint is all peeling
Broken glass on the sidewalk
Glitters like chandeliers
Somebody smashed

And my soul feels as empty
As a brown paper bag
The drained bottle inside it
Bought with bummed change

40 ounces of liquor
For 30 pieces of silver
And your temporary suicide
Has all been arranged

It's like an angel starts singing
An old gospel song
In that part of town where
No angel belongs

But what is this music
That falls on my ear
It's the very first snowfall
Of a very long year

I'm so far from home
And all that's familiar
Every prodigal knows
How this story goes

Was I just runnin' from what's
Too dark to mention
Or were angels escorting me
God only knows

So help me Maria
We heard the same call
Our hearts felt as free
As a dove newly flown

When a big city beckons
Ah you just can't imagine
You're left with no choice
Yeah, you just have to go

It's like an angel starts singing
An old gospel song
In that part of town where
No angel belongs

But what is this music
That falls on deaf ears
It's the very first snowfall
Of a very long year

There's two stray dogs runnin'
In Newport, Kentucky
They've got a secret
No one else knows

This old dirty city
Is cleansed of its sin
We're all light-hearted lovers
We're all beautiful beggars
We're all innocent children
As soon as it snows

It's like an angel starts singing
An old gospel song
In that part of town where
No angel belongs

But what is this music
Are these God's silent tears?
It's the very first snowfall
Of a very long year