'North to Alaska' was a "country and western" hit in the late 50's by Johnny
Horton. It involves two miners who have gone up to Alaska to find their fortune,
and in finding it, one of the miners bemoans the lack of women in this line of
work. Below are the lyrics:
Way up north, (North To Alaska.) Way up north, (North To Alaska.)
North to Alaska, They're goin' North, the rush is on.
North to Alaska, They're goin' North, the rush is on.
Big Sam left Seattle in the year of '92, With George Pratt, his partner, and brother, Billy, too.
They crossed the Yukon River and found the bonanza gold.
Below that old white mountain just a little south-east of Nome.
Sam crossed the majestic mountains to the valleys far below.
He talked to his team of huskies as he mushed on through the snow.
With the northern lights a-running wild in the land of the midnight sun,
Yes, Sam McCord was a mighty man in the year of nineteen-one.
Where the river is winding, Big nuggets they're finding. North to Alaska, They're goin' North, the rush is on.
Way up north, (North To Alaska.) Way up north, (North To Alaska.)
North to Alaska, They're goin' North, the rush is on.
North to Alaska, They're goin' North, the rush is on.
George turned to Sam with his gold in his hand,
Said: "Sam you're a-lookin'at a lonely, lonely man.
"I'd trade all the gold that's buried in this land,
"For one small band of gold to place on sweet little Ginnie's hand.
"'Cos a man needs a woman to love him all the time.
"Remember, Sam, a true love is so hard to find.
"I'd build for my Ginnie, a honeymoon home.
"Below that old white mountain just a little south-east of Nome.
" Where the river is winding, Big nuggets they're finding.
North to Alaska, They're goin' North, the rush is on.
North to Alaska, They're goin' North, the rush is on.
Way up north, (North To Alaska.) Way up north, (North To Alaska.) Way up north,
(North To Alaska.) In 1960
'North To Alaska' was made into a movie starring John Wayne. The plot of the movie to some degree followed the lyrics of this song used as the title theme. Of note for dancers in the Philadelphia area of a certain age, one of the leads in the movie was played by Ernie Kovacs who was a star of local Philadelphia TV until his untimely death in the early 60's of a car accident
Of another note: This was not the only movie in Wayne's career where a story line followed a popular song. Some years later Wayne would star in
'The Green Berets' which was patterned off the song, 'The Ballad Of the Green Berets.'
Click the button below to hear 'North To Alaska' and compare it to Od Nashuv. Od
Nashuv is quite similar - only 45 years after the original.
In 1960
'North To Alaska' was made into a movie starring John Wayne. The plot of the movie to some degree followed the lyrics of this song used as the title theme. Of note for dancers in the Philadelphia area of a certain age, one of the leads in the movie was played by Ernie Kovacs who was a star of local Philadelphia TV until his untimely death in the early 60's of a car accident
Of another note: This was not the only movie in Wayne's career where a story line followed a popular song. Some years later Wayne would star in
'The Green Berets' which was patterned off the song, 'The Ballad Of the Green Berets.'
Click the button below to hear 'North To Alaska' and compare it to Od Nashuv. Od
Nashuv is quite similar - only 45 years after the original.