At first Mom and Papa called the little boy Ned raised him on the banks of the riverbed A houseboat tied to a big tall tree a home for my Papa and my Mama and me
The clock strikes three Papa jumps to his feet Already Mama's cooking Papa something to eat At half past Papa he's a-ready to go He jumps in his bireau heading down the bayou
He's got fishing lines strung across the Louisiana River gotta catch a big fish for us to eat He sets his traps catching anything he can Gotta make a living he's a Louisiana Man Gotta make a living he's a Louisiana Man
Call Mama Rita and my daddy is Jack little baby brother on the floor is Matt Green and Lynn are the family twins Big brother Ed's on the bayou fishing
On the river floats Papa's great big boat that's how my Papa goes into town Takes every bit of the night and day to even reach the place where the people stay
I can hardly wait 'till tomorrow comes around That's the day my Papa takes his furs to town Papa promised me that I could go he'd even let me see a cowboy show
I'd seen the cowboys and Indians for the first time then Told my Papa gotta go again Papa said "Son we got a life to run We'd come back again 'cos there's work to be done"