[Verse 1]
I was born in Saginaw, Michigan
And I grew up in a house on Saginaw Bay
My daddy was a poor hard-working Saginaw fisherman
Too many times, he came home with too little pay
I loved a girl in Saginaw, Michigan
She was the daughter of a very, very wealthy man
But he called me that son of a Saginaw fisherman
And not good enough to ever claim his daughter's hand

[Chorus]
That's why I'm up here in Alaska, looking around for gold
Like a crazy fool, I'm digging in the frozen ground, so cold
But with each day, I pray I'll strike it rich and then
I'll go back home and claim my love in Saginaw, Michigan

[Verse 2]
I wrote my love in Saginaw, Michigan
I said, "Honey, I'm coming home. Please wait for me
And you can tell your dad that I'm coming back a richer man
I hit the biggest strike in Klondike history."
Her daddy met the bus in Saginaw, Michigan
And he gave me a great big party with champagne
Then he said, "Son, you're a wise, young, ambitious man
Why don't you sell your father-in-law your Klondike claim?"
[Chorus]
Now he's up there in Alaska, digging in the cold, cold ground
That greedy fool is looking for the gold I never found
But it serves him right and nobody here is missing him
Least of all the newlyweds of Saginaw, Michigan