[Verse 1]
The winter's flaking snow is brushing through the pine wood trees
I stuck my hands down deep inside my coat
I think of years ago and half remembered Christmas trees
And faces that still warm me with their glow

[Verse 2]
The cold and empty evening hangs around me like a ghost
I listen to my footsteps in the snow
The sound of one man walking through the snow can break your heart
But stopping doesn't help, so on I'll go

[Refrain 1]
And Christmas Eve can kill you
When you're trying to hitch a ride to anywhere

[Verse 3]
The icy air I'm breathing's all that keeps me on my feet
I feel like I've been walking all my life
A car goes running by, the man don't even turn his head
Guess he's busy being Santa Claus tonight

[Verse 4]
The saddest part of all is knowing if I switched with him
I'd leave him stumbling ragged by the road
I'd ride that highway to arms of my sweet family
And forget about the stranger in the cold
[Refrain 2]
And Christmas Eve can kill you
When you're trying to hitch a ride to anywhere

[Verse 5]
And as I walk I'm singing to myself "O Silent Night"
Hoping I can save those other souls
Oh, God, forgive the man that drives right by the other man
Have pity on the stranger in the cold

[Refrain 3]
Cause Christmas Eve can kill you
When you're trying to hitch a ride to anywhere