The Cremation of Sam Mcgee - The Real McKenzies

Oh those old Northern Lights

Have seen the queerest sights

But the queerest sight that they ever did see

It was on the moonlit marge

Of that Old Lake Lebarge

On the night that I cremated Sam McGee

My friend Sam McGee

Was from old Tennessee

In the land where the cotton blooms and blows

But why Sam left his home

In the deep south to roam

Around the pole up north God only knows

In the long search for gold

He was always so cold

How he longed again to roam the southern plain

I would listen to him rave

How he feared an icy grave

And if I die cremate my last remains

Well a pal’s last need

Is a thing we have to heed

So I promised and I swore I would not fail

And again we started on

At the first streaks of the dawn

But o god he was looking ghastly pale

He crouched on the sleigh

And he raved away all day

About the warmth of his home in Tennessee

Before the night did fall

I had a promise to recall

For a corpse was what’s left of Sam McGee

Then I came upon the marge

Of that Old Lake Lebarge

Where a broken down derelict did lay

She was jammed there in a vice

20 feet of frozen ice

Was abandoned and left there to decay

Some planks I quickly tore

From it’s old cabin floor

And I gathered up some chunks of scattered coal

Soon the blaze furnace red

Seeing that old McGee was dead

So I stuffed him in that old cremation hole

There sat my buddy Sam

Looking mighty cool and calm

In the heart of those furnace flames roar

And he wore a great big smile

You could see almost a mile

As he chuckled hurry up and close the door

She’s a fine place in here

But I do greatly fear

You may let in that awful cold and storm

For since I left plumtree

Down in old Tennessee

She’s the first time that I’ve been really warm

Oh those old Northern Lights

Have seen the queerest sights

But the queerest sight that they ever did see

It was on the moonlit marge

Of that Old Lake Lebarge

On the night that I cremated Sam McGee

On the night that I cremated Sam McGee