[Verse 1]
I left the porch light burning
With a pack beside the door
No handout in my pocket
No map I could afford
The highway took me northward
Past the last familiar sign
Toward a river locked in winter
And a claim that could be mine
[Pre-Chorus]
Every mile says turn around
Every doubt gets buried underground
[Chorus]
I’m going where the cold cuts clean
Yukon dust and a hard-won dream
No excuse, no safety net
I’m not done, not finished yet
If the mountain wants my name
I’ll earn it in the ice and flame
I came too far to lose control
I’m leaving home to go for gold
[Verse 2]
The canvas snaps at sunrise
The sluice box starts to sing
My hands are split and bleeding
But I still believe in spring
The river keeps its secrets
Under gravel, stone, and snow
So I work until the daylight fades
And let the current show
[Pre-Chorus]
Every frozen night tests what I’m made of
Every empty pan demands I stay tough
[Chorus]
I’m going where the cold cuts clean
Yukon dust and a hard-won dream
No excuse, no safety net
I’m not done, not finished yet
If the mountain wants my name
I’ll earn it in the ice and flame
I came too far to lose control
I’m leaving home to go for gold
[Bridge]
Maybe I’m a fool with a battered truck
Maybe the odds have all dried up
But failure gets no seat beside me
I’ll keep digging till the earth provides me
[Final Chorus]
I’m going where the cold cuts clean
Yukon dust and a hard-won dream
No excuse, no safety net
I’m not done, not finished yet
If the mountain wants my name
I’ll earn it in the ice and flame
When the first bright stone rolls out below
They’ll know I left with nowhere else to go
I came too far to lose control
I’m leaving home to go for gold
[Outro]
No excuse
No turning back
The Yukon road
And the life I’ll crack