Two Cold Nights in Buffalo - Courtney Marie Andrews

Stuck in Nickel City

On the tainted side of a coin

El Niño brought a blizzard

Greyhound brought a boy

Those yellow city lights

Accent the gutters and the rats

Only the cheap motels were open

Wrong side of the tracks

Two cold nights in Buffalo

On the way to Syracuse

Outside town, all the roads are closed

Gonna wash this rust belt new

A snowy prison out on Main Street

Heaters hang from the cells

A bum searches for shelter

So cold he dreams of hell

Is that American dream dying?

I hear the whispers of each ghost

Of the wealthy man who once died

In downtown Buffalo

Two cold nights in Buffalo

On the way to Syracuse

Outside town, all the roads are closed

Gonna wash this rust belt new

Gonna wash it new

What happened to the middle class

Mom-and-Pop, five-and-dimes?

Soon they’ll be knocking it all down

To build that high-rise

What happened to the good ol' boys

Throwing dice in the street?

What happened to the neighborhood

And the neighbors you would meet?

What happened to recreation?

That old roller skating rink?

What happened to preserving

This town’s history?

Two cold nights in Buffalo

On the way to Syracuse

Outside town, all the roads are closed

Gonna wash this rust belt new

Gonna wash it new