[Verse 1]
The creek went thin by the second week
And the map came apart in the rain
I patched my coat with a strip from the pack
And followed the ridge through the pines

[Pre-Chorus]
When the cold climbed up through my boots
I kept one match dry in my sleeve

[Chorus]
I’ll make it through this country yet
One hard mile, one breath at a time
With a pocket of salt and a stubborn heart
And the north line fixed in my mind
If the wind takes the words from my mouth
If the dark puts its hand on the trail
I’ll make it through this country yet
I won’t let the mountain decide

[Verse 2]
I found a safe hollow under black spruce
And set my tin cup in the snow
At dawn, a fox crossed the crust of the lake
Like it knew where the warm places go

[Pre-Chorus]
I split the last of the cedar for fire
And watched the small flame hold

[Chorus]
I’ll make it through this country yet
One hard mile, one breath at a time
With a pocket of salt and a stubborn heart
And the north line fixed in my mind
If the wind takes the words from my mouth
If the dark puts its hand on the trail
I’ll make it through this country yet
I won’t let the mountain decide

[Bridge]
I thought of the kitchen back home
The chipped blue bowl by the door
The sound of my brother laughing too loud
And the boards of the old porch floor
So I rose when the morning came
Though my hands shook hard in the cold
There was a day beyond that ridge
And I still had miles to go

[Final Chorus]
I’ll make it through this country yet
One hard mile, one breath at a time
With a pocket of salt and a stubborn heart
And the north line fixed in my mind
Let the wind take the words from my mouth
Let the dark lay its hand on the trail
I’ll make it through this country yet
I won’t let the mountain decide

[Outro]
One hard mile, one breath at a time
I’ll find my way down alive