Way down in the valley On a dusty road Old man with a pick and shovel Searchin' for the mother lode Seekin' fame and fortune A little peace of mind It's a tale of a man's gold fever Back in '49 Livin' out of a tin shack Out on the trail Nothin' more than a mule pack And a miner's tale Fever for gold He's got fever for gold Left east on a callin' Don't wash again Travelled west to a boomtown Had to stake a claim Never known as a big man Had the heart of ten Left the wife and family Together they'd be again Nothin' more than a tin shack Out on the trail Nothin' more than a mule pack And a miner's tale Fever for gold He's got fever for gold, yeah Hidin' out on the hillside Lookin' out below Heard the voice of old St. Peter Boy, it's time to go He went in town with a preacher On the Judgement Day He took a swing and it all came falling He knew he just rocked the vein, yeah Fever for gold, yeah He's got fever for gold He's got fever for gold He's got fever for gold