Robert Service’s The Cremation of Sam McGee is a beloved Canadian ghost story set in the unforgiving North. Many can identify it with just the first few lines. Themes of survival, obligation and brutal relentless cold, unexpectedly culminate in a surprise twist ending. We share a reading of the iconic poem and explore its strange history and the urban legends that surround this masterpiece.
“There are strange things done in midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.”