David Berman

"Snow is Falling in Manhattan"

"Snow is falling in Manhattan
In a slow diagonal fashion
On the Sabbath, as it happens
Snow is falling in Manhattan
If it looks like it might be a bad one
The good caretaker springs to action
Salts the stoop and scoops the cat in
Tests an icy patch for traction

Snow
Snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
Snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
Snow, oh, whoa
Snow, oh, whoa
Snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa

Levels rising on the island
Shows no sign of soon subsiding
Drifting deeply down in Brooklyn
So much joy in merely looking
Inside he's got a fire crackling
And on the couch, beneath an afghan
Lies an old friend he just took in
Seeking shelter from the cold wind

Coming down in smithereens
On Staten Island, Bronx and Queens
It's blanketing the city streets
And the streets beneath are fast asleep
Songs build little rooms in time
And housed within the song's design
Is the ghost the host has left behind
To greet and sweep the guest inside
Stoke the fire and sing his lines

Snow
Snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
Snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa
Snow, oh, whoa
Snow, oh, whoa
Snow, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa, oh, whoa

Snow is falling in Manhattan
Inside I've got a fire crackling
And on the couch, beneath an afghan
You're the old friend I just took in"