Well, at birth mom and papa called their little boy Ned Raised him on the banks of a river bed On a houseboat tied to a big tall tree A home for my papa and my mama and me
The clock strikes three and papa jumps to his feet Already mama's cooking papa something to eat At half past, papa he's ready to go He jumps in his pirogue headed down the bayou
He's got fishing lines strung across the Louisiana Rivers Gotta catch a big fish for us to eat He's setting traps in the swamp catching anything he can He's gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana man Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana man