[Verse 1]
This is a first-rate town but all you ever notice
Are the ways it's stretched too far
And it has been knocked down, well, some of us are still left here between the scars
When you look around, all you ever notice is you cannot see the stars
This is a first-rate town, a first-rate town you know
You just can't see very far

[Verse 2]
When the last door closed, you packed your clothes
And went back to Montreal
Said, "It was colder there," a chill hangs in the air
It helps you forget it all
You left an empty bookshelf that I didn't fill till fall
This is a first-rate town, a first-rate town you know
You just can't see it at all

[Bridge]
Well it will fade as all things must
I loved you but you didn't love me enough
Winter comes, the car will rust
I'll start it up, then always run a little rough

[Verse 3]
This is a first-rate town and all you ever notice
Are the ways it's stretched too far
They keep the death rates down
It's colder than a winter spent in defrosting cars
We talked a lot of leaving, didn't think you'd get that far
This is a first-rate town, a first-rate town you know
You just can't see very far