Temperance River Blues

The lake pushes ice into cathedrals
The leaves are gone from the trees
Along the highway, they just stand
Like skeleton bones pushed into sand

My home is where my love abides

Paths in the woods along rust-colored rivers
Washing iron all the way to the lake
Lives led in solitude from snow to snow
Heirloom land with no pence for the gates

My home is where my love abides

Duluth is lost in a mist, that escapes lord
That escapes from underneath the streets
Hides in doorways and in faces
And makes the lake seem loud
The waves roll and crash and retreat

My home is where my love abides

The ranges are coming down from their slab houses
To board Viking ships that are bound for Norway
And they push out over Lake Superior
Past the cross, past the light to the sea

My home is where my love abides