Back in the winter of '63
I left my woman down in Port Louis
To a clipper ship to
The land of the midnight sun
I had a partner, a little older than me
Kew the ins and outs of the company
When the captain says "Let's make that trip"
You should have seen us run

I got an angel in my pocket tonight
I got twenty-five miles of river to fight
Alone on the river singin' songs with my old friend
The cold North wind
My partner went by the name of Robespierre
He came from down in the delta somewhere
He fought the Indians there, he fought the land
Old Pierre was no one's fool
He knew the ropes and the beaver's pool
And when he died he knew that river
Like the back of his hands

I got an angel in my pocket tonight...

And when a man says "Stop"
I can't take it anymore
He can work until he drops
Tell me what's he working for
It gets cold here in the territories
Colder in my heart
I imss my wife, I miss my son
Why do we live apart...