[Verse 1]
I was born and raised on the river
It's the only life that I know
People 'round here have put a name on me
And I hear it wherever I go

[Chorus]
They call me river boy, river boy
Good for nothing river boy
This old world don't hold a whole lot of joy
When you're nothing but a river boy

[Verse 2]
I do a lot of fishing on the river
To make my living you see
When I take my catch to the market place
The people call out to me

[Chorus]
And they say, river boy, hey river boy
You got any fish today there, river boy
I sell my ware, but nobody cares
About the feeling's of the river boy

[Verse 3]
There's a pretty girl works at the market place
I see her there everyday
But when I try to talk to her
I can hear her papa say

[Chorus]
Come away from that River boy, he's a river boy
Nothing but riff-raff, them river boys
No girl of mine is gonna waste her time
On a good for nothin' river boy

[Verse 4]
So I head my boat back up the river
Back to my old fishing place
I'm afraid this old river's gonna overflow
From the tears a-falling down my face

[Chorus]
I'm nothing but a river boy, river boy
A good for nothing river boy
This old world don't hold a whole lot of joy
When you're nothing but a river boy

[Outro]
River boy, river boy
A good for nothing river boy
River boy