This ol' riverboat walkin up the river
Keep her steady as you go
Heave the lead and pay the line
Now we're markin' on the twine
Four fathoms below
Way up the river we go

This ol' riverboat walkin' by the levee
Keep her steady as you go
Think I hear the captain say
Full ahead we're on our way
Three fathoms below
Way up the river we go

Keep on a-movin' gotta beat ol' Dixie
Or we'll come back empty I know
Way down the river I can hear her whistle blow

This ol' riverboat churnin' muddy water
Ease er' down and take it slow
Can't you hear that rumblin' sound
Lord, I think we've run aground
No fathoms below
You'd better pray it ain't so

We're muckin' bottom, and here comes ol' Dixie
Singin' who's got that cotton to sell?
Ah, but when she's passin'
We're risin' high on her swell
We're on the move again

These two riverboats, racin' up the river
Then ol' Dixie runs aground
There she stands high and dry
And we're walkin' right on by
I can see the lights of town
We're gonna roll that cotton down

This ol' riverboat seen a lot of water
Lot of cotton, you can bet
You can ask anyone you meet
They say she can't be beat
She ain't never been yet
Can't you hear that whistle blow
Way up the river we go

Walkin' up the river we go
Up and down the river we go