The Cremation Of Sam McGee
Johnny Cash Lyrics

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold
Men who venture into the cold parts of land searching for gold have stories of strange occurrences in their experience

The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold
People who explore the arctic encounter events that are so scary that it might send a chill down your spine

The Northern Lights have seen queer sights but the queerest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee
The Northern Lights witnessed a bizarre event when Sam McGee was cremated on the shore of Lake Lebarge

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee where the cotton blooms and blows Why he left his home in the South to roam round the Pole God only knows He was always cold but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell Though he'd often say in his homely way that he'd sooner live in hell
Sam McGee, who was from Tennessee was always cold but was enchanted by the land of gold. Although he cursed the cold, he continued living in the harsh conditions

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail Talk of your cold through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail If our eyes we'd close then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see It wasn't much fun but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee
While traversing the Dawson trail, which was freezing, Sam McGee was the only one who complained when their eyes closed involuntarily due to freezing lashes

And that very night as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow And the dogs were fed and the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe He turned to me and Cap says he I'll cash in this trip I guess And if I do I'm asking that you won't refuse my last request
That night, while the group was taking rest, Sam announced that he might not survive till the end of the expedition and requested the others to fulfill his last desire

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no, then he says with a sort of moan It's the cursed cold and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone Yet 'tain't being dead--it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains
Sam was frightened of being buried in ice after death and requested the singer to cremate his remains, to which the singer agreed

A pal's last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail And we started on at the streak of dawn, but God! he looked ghastly pale He crouched on the sleigh and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee And before nightfall, a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee
The artist promised Sam to cremate his remains, and they resumed the journey at dawn. However, by nightfall, Sam died and his body remained the only thing that remained

There wasn't a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven With a corpse half hid that I couldn't get rid, because of a promise given It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say, You may tax your brawn and brains But you promised true, and it's up to you, to cremate those last remains
The artist was horrified, and there was no life in the area where they were traveling. He was attempting to fulfill the promise he had made, but the weight of Sam's corpse was a strenuous burden they had to bear

Now, a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load In the long, long night by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring Howled out their woes to the homeless snows--God! how I loathed the thing
The artist regretted their promise, but they were aware that they had to fulfill it since a promise is a commitment, and breaking it would be dishonorable

And every day that quiet clay seems to heavy and heavier grow And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin
Every day the burden of Sam's corpse felt heavier, the singer became anxious, but he did not lose hope and continued singing to keep himself motivated

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the Alice May And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum Then, 'Here,' said I, with a sudden cry, 'Is my crematorium.'
The artist searched for a way to cremate Sam's remains and finally found a derelict structure named the Alice May, which he would use as his crematorium

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher The flames just soared, and the furnace roared, such a blaze you seldom see And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee
The singer tore some boards from the cabin's flooring and used them to make a funeral pyre. They then fueled it and created an intense fire where he finally cremated Sam's remains

Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why And the greasy smoke, in an inky cloak, went streaking down the sky
After cremating Sam's remains, the singer was in haste to create distance and prevent himself from hearing the remains sizzle. It was becoming dark, and the weather was getting colder, and the sky was becoming dark, and smoky clouds formed that stretched across the sky

I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear But the stars came out, and they danced about, ere again I ventured near I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: 'I'll just take a peep inside I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked,' then the door I opened wide
The singer was unsure of the cremation's success and feared the actions he had done before, so it took him a while to muster up the courage to check if the cremation was successful

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar And he wore a smile, you could see a mile, and he said, 'Please close that door' 'It's fine in here, but I greatly fear, you'll let in the cold and storm Since I left Plumtree down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm.'
When the artist checked, he saw that Sam's remains were successfully cremated and that Sam was resting comfortably inside the furnace. He requested the artist to close the furnace's door since he was enjoying the warmth, which he had not felt since he left Plumtree in Tennessee