The blizzard

written by Judy Collins/ The Judy Collins Publishing Company (ASCAP) or The

Wildflowers Company/Admin by Universal Music Corp (ASCAP) when noted.

Colorado, Colorado

Where the world leaves you shivering

And the blizzard blows

When the snow flies and the night falls

There’s a light in the window and a place called home

At the end of the storm

One night on the mountain I was headed for Estes

When the roads turned to ice and it started to snow

Put on the chains in a whirl of white powder

Halfway up to Berthoud near a diner I know

And the light burned inside, shining down through the snowfall

God it was cold and the temperature droppin’

Went in for coffee and I shivered as I drank it

Warming my hands in the steam as it rose

Sitting there at the counter was a dark-headed stranger

Me and the owner and him keepin’ warm

Nodded hello and I said, “It’s a cold one,

Looks like there might be a blizzard tonight.”

And “Yes,” said the owner, “there’s a big storm on the mountain,

Good thing we’re open, we could be here for hours;

There’s nothing for miles and it’s too late to get to Denver,

Better not try for the summit tonight.”

And the snow fell

And the night passed

And I talked to the stranger

While the blizzard blew.

Me and the stranger, you know I don’t talk to strangers

I’m a private sort of person, but a blizzard is a blizzard

And somehow I found myself saying you’d left me

Tellin’ him everything I wanted to say to you

You know how it is when you can talk to a stranger

Someone you’re quite sure you’ll never see again

Soon we were laughin’ and talkin’ and drinkin’

He said, “You must know, you’re too good for him.”

And the snow fell

And the night passed

And I talked to the stranger

While the blizzard blew

The stranger said, “Love, it can cry you a river –

Me, I’m a loner ‘cause I can’t take the heartache

And sometimes I’m a fighter when I get too much whiskey -

Here have a little whiskey, pretend you don’t give a damn.

My cabin’s up here on the side of the mountain,

You can go up there and sleep through the blizzard.”

I put on my parka, said goodbye to the owner

Followed the stranger through the snow up the mountainside

Woke in the morning to the sun on the snow

My car was buried in six feet of snowdrifts

They dug me out, just the owner and the stranger

Sent me on my way when the snowplow had been by

And the roads were all clear and the sun on the mountains

Sparkled like diamonds on the peak to peak highway

Then I knew that I would get over you,

knew you could leave me, but you’d never break me