We came north for a-thousand reasons, friend
When we leave it’s for damn few less
Old memories fade in the harsh, new light
And the reasons die, I guess

You can’t put a price on the dreams we shared
And words cannot offer a clue
Of how the world seemed to us then
We were Alaskans, true

We were the bunch that would die for a friend
When at odds we were still close knit
This was Alaska; Sourdoughs, we
A breed that never said quit

There’s no way a new Cheechako
Anymore than a honey bee’s buzz
Can fathom the yearning you have in your heart
For Alaska the way that she was

She was something, I’ll tell you that, sir
By God, to be thirty once more
The wind in your hair; the freedom ahead
All the things that you settled here for

But she’s gone; hell, the whole world is dying
Just a memory for them that were there
I’d not give a nickel for what’s down the road
And I reckon I no longer care

So you who come, eager for fortune
You who yet seek her bright gold
Whatever you find, it will not be Alaska
The Alaska we knew has been sold