Her hair was dyed black and she was bending down
Picking something from off the ground
She was seventeen, and he said, 'Oh my God, it's Kate'
She said 'No, I'm the daughter of Kate
My name is Martha, who are you?
Ma never told me, never told me 'bout you'

He put his big middle-aged hands upon her shoulders
And he looked her in the eyes
Just like a boy of nineteen would do
And she was not afraid, no, she was not afraid

Once upon a time two kids in love
In a car were flyin' over mountains
Trying to catch a boat
That'd take 'em up river to home

And they raced the Matapedia, sixty minutes, sixty miles
Thirty minutes, thirty miles
Twenty minutes twenty miles, ten, nine, eight
And I was not afraid, no, I was not afraid

Well, we made the boat with minutes to spare
And we crossed on over to the other side
And back home, safe and sound
But I could not slow down, no, I could not slow down

And we raced the Matapedia, sixty minutes, sixty miles
Thirty minutes, thirty miles
Twenty minutes twenty miles, ten, nine, eight
But I could not slow down, no, I could not slow down
I was not afraid, no, I was not afraid
I could not slow down 'cause I was not afraid