Cold Snap Blues

[intro]
(harmonica wails, low guitar hum)

[verse 1]
Woke up Sunday morning, breath like smoke in the air
Thermostat's been lying, it just sits and stares
January came knocking like a landlord with a bill
And that old boiler in the basement finally had its fill

[verse 2]
Tried bleeding the radiator, got a hiss and a moan
Wrapped my hands in oven mitts, slept in my coat and phones
Called the man on Monday, he said "Buddy, take a number"
Said the part's on backorder till the thaw comes in the summer

[chorus]
Oh, it's cold snap blues, ice on the inside of my window pane
Cold snap blues, got frost where the coffee cup should reign
Every blanket in the house laid out like soldiers in a row
When the boiler dies in January, that's when the blues really blow

[verse 3]
My coffee froze solid in the mug by the bed
The dog won't leave the oven, the goldfish's seein' red
Space heater from the Goodwill, hums a note like a dying choir
Nine degrees and falling, and my fingers won't go higher

[chorus]
Oh, it's cold snap blues, ice on the inside of my window pane
Cold snap blues, steam heat's just the name
Every blanket in the house laid out like soldiers in a row
When the boiler dies in January, that's when the blues really blow

[bridge]
Some folks sing about their baby leaving town
Me, I'm crying 'bout a furnace sixty feet down
Rusted pipes and pilot lights, a flame that won't catch
The landlord says he's coming, Lord, I'm holding out for that

[guitar solo]

[verse 4]
Week two came and went, I learned to love the cold
Bought a kettle for the bedroom, got a hat that's three years old
But Thursday night it sputtered, then it roared up from below
And the radiators started singing like a gospel radio

[outro]
Now the house is warm and humming, and I know what I've got to do
Before next winter comes around, get that boiler serviced too
But until the ice comes back again, I'll take the heat I'm shown
'Cause you never miss the warm, sweet fire till you're sleeping all alone
(cold snap... blues...)