Stuck in Nickel City on the tainted side of a coin El Niño brought a blizzard, the Greyhound brought a boy Those yellow city lights accent the gutters and the rats Only the cheap motels were open, wrong side of the tracks Two cold nights in Buffalo On the way to see you Outside town, all the roads are closed Gonna wash this rust belt new Snowy prison out on Main Street, heaters hang from the cells A bum searches for shelter, so cold he dreams of hell It's that American Dream dying, I hear the whispers of each ghost Of a wealthy man who once died in downtown Buffalo Two cold nights in Buffalo On the way to see you Outside town, all the roads are closed Gonna wash this rust belt new Gonna wash it new What happened to the middle class, mom-and-pop, five-and-dimes? Soon they'll be knocking it all down to build that high-rise What happened to the good old boys rollin' dice in the street? What happened to the neighborhood and the neighbors who had moved? What happened to recreation? That old roller skating rink? What happened to preserving this town's history? Two cold nights in Buffalo On the way to see you Outside town, all the roads are closed Gonna wash this rust belt new Gonna wash it new