In an old city bar

That is never too far

From the places that gather

The dreams that have been

In the safety of night

With its old neon light

It beckons to strangers

And they always come in

And the snow it was falling

The neon was calling

The music was low

And the night

Christmas Eve

And here was the danger

That even with strangers

Inside of this night

It was easier to believe

For it was into this bar

That I happened to wander

To stare into a glass

And my universe ponder

So I walked up to the counter

Shook the snow off my coat

Then I ordered a whiskey

That I used like a moat

But an old man soon joined me

And asked if I knew the time

One word led to another

And somehow I didn't mind

Then he offered a drink

From a bottle 'neath his coat

And he smiled a little smile

As it trickled down my throat

And I felt myself relaxing

Here among the ghosts that failed

Then the old man topped my glass off

And began this little tale

In the moments of our lives

Both the joyous and the tragic

If the truth is to be told

We are all pursuing magic

And the magic that we seek

As we're sure you have discovered

Can be found in certain places

Far more easily than others

In the sand beneath the Sphinx

In the dreams of candlelight

But the surest place of all

Is in the forgiving world of night

And of all the nights throughout the year

That come and gently leave

None hold the dream of magic

Like the evening, Christmas Eve

And so it's on this night

With its promise deep within

As the snow now starts to fall

Our story does begin