[ Don Rich]
At first mom and papa called their little boy Ned
They raised him on the banks of the river bed
A houseboat tied to a big tall tree a home for my mama and my papa and me
The clock strikes three papa jumps to his feet
Already mama's cookin' papa somethin' to eat
At half past papa he's ready to go he hops in his piro headed down the bayou
They got fishin' lines strung across the Louisiana River
Gonna catch a big fish for us to eat
They said that crops in the swamp catchin' everythin' he can
Gonna make a livin' he's a Louisiana man gonna make a livin' he's a Louisiana man
Muskart hides a hangin' by the dozen even got a lady make a muskart's cousin
Pile of hide dryin' in the hot hot sun tomorrow papa's gonna turn them into mon
[ fiddle ]
They call my mama Rita and my daddy Jack
A little baby brother on the floor that's Mac
Rynn and Lynn are the family twins big brother Ed's on the bayou fishin'
On the river float papa's great big boat that's how my papa goes into town
Makes every bit of the night and day then ever reach the place where the people stay
I can hardly wait until tomorrow comes around
That's the day my papa takes his fures to town
Papa promised me that I could go even gonna see a cowboy show
I see the cowboys and Indians for the first time then told my pappy gotta go again
Papa said son we got the lines to run
We'll come back again that there's work to be done
And they got fishin' lines...