This day a year ago, he was rolling in the snow With a younger brother in his fathers yard Christmas break, a time for touching home The heart of all hed known And leaving was so hard Three thousand miles away Now hes working Christmas Day Making double time for the minding of the store Well he always said, hed make it on his own Hes spending Christmas Eve alone First Christmas away from home Shes standing by the train station Panhandling for change Four more dollars buys a decent meal and a room Looks like the Sally Ann place after all In a crowded sleeping hall That echoes like a tomb But its warm and clean and free And there are worse places to be At least it means no beating from her Dad And if she cries because its Christmas Day She hopes that it wont show First Christmas away from home In the apartment stands a tree And it looks so small and bare Not like it was meant to be Golden angel on the top Its not that same old silver star You wanted for your own First Christmas away from home In the morning, they get prayers Then its crafts and tea downstairs Then another meal back in his little room Hoping maybe that the boys Will think to phone before the day is gone Well, its best they do it soon When the old girl passed away He fell apart more every day Each had always kept the other pretty well But the kids all said the nursing home was best Cause he couldnt live alone First Christmas away from home In the common room theyve got the biggest tree And its huge and cold and lifeless Not like it ought to be And the litup flashing Santa Claus on top Its not that same old silver star You once made for your own First Christmas away from home
christmas, home, first, away, meal