Saginaw Michigan
John Prine/Mac Wiseman Lyrics

I was born in Saginaw, Michigan
I entered this world in the state of Michigan in the city of Saginaw.

I grew up in a house on Saginaw Bay
During my upbringing, I resided in a residence located next to Saginaw Bay.

My dad was a poor hard working Saginaw fisherman
My father was a fisherman who worked tirelessly but often had little to show for it, living in Saginaw.

Too many times he came home with too little pay
My father's work was not always rewarded fairly, resulting in insufficient compensation on numerous occasions.

I love a girl in Saginaw, Michigan (Saginaw, Michigan)
My heart belongs to a woman from Saginaw, Michigan, and this affection is emphasized by repeating the city's name.

The daughter of a wealthy, wealthy man
The object of my love is the offspring of an extremely affluent individual.

But he called me that son of a Saginaw fisherman
The woman's father did not approve of our relationship, describing me as the offspring of a low-status Saginaw fisherman.

Not good enough to claim his daughter's hand
In the eyes of the woman's father, I was not an acceptable suitor for his daughter's hand in marriage.

Now I'm up here in Alaska looking around for gold
Currently, I find myself in Alaska, spending time searching for valuable gold and minerals.

Like a crazy fool I'm a digging in this frozen ground so cold
In an almost insane, foolish manner, I am excavating frozen, frigid soil, hunting for valuable resources.

But each new day I pray I'll strike it rich and then
Every day, I have hope due to my faith in a miraculous discovery that can alter my financial status drastically.

I'll go back home and claim my love in Saginaw, Michigan (Saginaw, Michigan)
If I experience a breakthrough, I plan to return to Saginaw, Michigan, to reunite with my beloved and consummate our love.

I wrote my love in Saginaw Michigan (Saginaw, Michigan)
To communicate my feelings, and plans for the future, I wrote a message to my beloved, addressing it to Saginaw, Michigan in emphasis.

I said: "Honey, I'm comin' home, please wait for me
The letter to my beloved entailed specific information of my plan to reunite, requesting a waiting period.

And you can tell your pa I'm coming home a richer man
Additionally, the note stated that I am coming home in heightened financial position, worthy of her father's approval.

I've hit the biggest strike in Klondike history"
The reason for my wealth increase was attributed to my participation in the largest deposit of gold discovered in the Klondike region.

Her dad met me in Saginaw, Michigan (Saginaw, Michigan)
Upon my arrival in my beloved's hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, I was met by her father.

He gave me a great big party with champagne
To celebrate our newfound wealth, the woman's father bestowed upon us a large celebration, marked by champagne and festivities.

Then he said, "son you're wise young ambitious man
In an attempt to reconcile our past differences, the woman's father offered praise and admiration, commending my young ambitious character.

Will you sell your father-in-law your Klondike claim?"
However, the father's fortunes quickly turned as he offered to purchase my Klondike claim, with an underlying greed-driven motive.

Now he's up there in Alaska digging in the cold cold ground
In the pursuit of profits, the father took up my former residence in Alaska, mining for valuable resources on the cold terrain I once traversed.

The greedy fool is lookin' for the gold I never found
Undeterred by my failure to discover valuable minerals, the father proves his greediness as he picks up where I left off in the Klondike, in pursuit of what I could not find.

It serves him right and no one here is missing him
The singer expresses satisfaction and reinforces the father's negative character traits, highlighting that no one back home is missing him.

Least of all the newlyweds of Saginaw, Michigan
Of particular note, the woman who was once caught between her father and her beloved, now a newlywed, has no real ties or affection towards her now-retired father.

They're the happiest man and wife in Saginaw, Michigan
As a newlywed couple, narrator and his beloved are blissful and content, living a beautiful life in Saginaw, Michigan.

He's afraid to show his face in Saginaw, Michigan
Meanwhile, the father's wrongdoings have now made him a pariah, unwelcome and afraid to show his face in Saginaw, Michigan.