E 
A studio apartment in a dull part of Seattle, 
  G# 
A strand of light suspended, 
     A             Asus4 
By a thumb tack in the drywall, 
E 
The restaurants are closed, 
E 
So are the record shops, 
                         G# 
The banks, and bars, and Bartell drugs, 
             A          Asus4      E 
And so's the half price book store, 
        Asus4      A      Asus2 
But the movies are always open, 
    Asus4    A       Am 
And I always have to open. 


E 
A repertory movie house where life is not so wonderful, 
    G# 
For 15 soggy patrons, 
         A         Asus4    E 
Who have no better place to be, 
E 
Not to mention me, 
E 
I'm working for a holiday wage, 
             G# 
My family is two time zones away, 
A               Asus4 
I'm supposed to call them, 
   Asus4     A       Asus2 
My vodka and snow is melting, 
    Asus4   A     Am 
The alcohol isn't helping. 


E                      Asus4   A 
Sometimes, you have to work on Christmas. 
E                      Asus4   A  
Sometimes, you have to work on Christmas.  
E                    Asus4   A 
Sometimes, you gotta work on Christmas; 
  Asus4      A 
I doubt I'll miss this. 


E                                           G# 
There's an artificial tree, blinking in the lobby, 
               A      Asus4  E 
Sitting on the coffee table, yeah, 
E 
Strangers and spare changers, 

Stand in line like poor relations, 
        G# 
At some kind of sad reunion, 
        A           Asus4 
And I'm selling the tickets, 
     Asus4       A      Asus2 
They come in out of the weather, 
    Asus4       A      Am 
For Christmas alone together. 


E                      Asus4   A 
Sometimes, you have to work on Christmas. 
E                      Asus4   A  
Sometimes, you have to work on Christmas.  
E                    Asus4   A 
Sometimes, you gotta work on Christmas; 
  Asus4      A 
I doubt I'll miss this.