Susitna

On a clear day in the distance
You can see her 'cross the bay
She's a sleeping, sleeping lady
And Susitna is her name

Sparkling clear her deep brown eyes were
Warm as sunlight her golden skin
She was sworn to great Denali
Strong and true their love had been

As they prepared to be newly wedded
On the shores of the Bering Sea
There came the thunder of far-off battle
And brave Denali took his leave

No bow and arrow, no kind of weapon
No arm of war did Denali bear
Just a promise for his lover
And a lock of her silken hair

My Susitna, close your eyes and sleep
For your love my heart will yearn
And I'll be with you in your very dream
'Til the moment I return

So she lay down there, the very spot where
She had vowed her love to him
Overlooking the peaceful valley
Where the promise had been given

And the moments turned to hours
And the hours into days
And the days turned into season
Still she heard Denali say

My Susitna, close your eyes and sleep
For your love my heart will yearn
And I'll be with you in your very dream
'Til the moment I return

Now every autumn with the shedding
Of the branches and the leaves
One more blanket for Susitna
One more layer of her dreams

Still she'd wait there for his coming
Though in battle he did fall
And the coldest wind of winter
Brings a lonely lover's call

My Susitna, close your eyes and sleep
For your love my heart will yearn
And I'll be with you in your very dream
'Til the moment I return

On a clear day in the distance
You can see her cross the bay
Now we call her Mount Susitna
And she sleeps there to this day

And when the moon goes round from full to new
That's the blinking of her eye
She is looking tot he northern land
Where the great Denali lies

And when the river of that valley flows
Two tall mountains far apart
Share the memory of a time gone by

And the spirit of one heart