On the Northern Plains near the great Divide
It's a raw young land where few survive
The dangers and the hardships of that life
In a one room shack made of timber and clay
With the nearest fort six days away
I settled down with my sweet loving wife

1st Chorus
Where the wolves and the coyotes howl
Where the wind blows cold, and the grizzlies prowl
And my darling's gone away
I'll search for her until my dying day

In the fall of the year when the wild geese fly
And the rangeland grass is brown and dry
The bugling elk meant food for another day
So I left my wife with a loaded gun
Till my return when the day was done
But she cried and begged for me to stay

2nd Chorus
Where the wolves and the coyotes howl
Where the red man walks quiet as the owl
And my darling's gone away
I'll search for her until my dying day

The moon was up when I got back
To the darkened form of the one room shack
Dishes, lamps and chairs lay all around
And the empty gun lay on the floor
While the north wind blew through the open door
But my darling wife could not be found

1st Chorus

(I fear she's lying on the cold, cold ground)