The Cremation of Sam McGee

work by Service

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Article History

The Cremation of Sam McGee, ballad by Robert Service, published in Canada in 1907 in Songs of a Sourdough (U.S. title, The Spell of the Yukon, and Other Verses). A popular success upon publication, this exaggerated folktale about a pair of Yukon gold miners was reprinted 15 times in its first year.

In the ballad, set in the icy wilds of northwestern Canada, the title character dies after asking the narrator to cremate his body rather than bury it. After placing the body in a blazing furnace, the narrator takes a last look into the fire and hears McGee urge him to close the door before the heat escapes. The ballad has remained a favourite recitation piece because of its internal rhymes, driving rhythms, and macabre irony.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.