[Verse 1]
Well, I thought I'd go out to Tulsa
And ride in a rodeo
Red beans and rice sure would be nice
Back where the Mississippi River flows

[Chorus]
And it's a long way back to Vicksburg
Mississippi River is muddy and wide
But it don't seem like much
When sweet Louisiana's waiting on the other side

[Verse 2]
Well, there's a lot of room up in Canada
Where a man can catch his breath
But the men are bold and the women are cold
And you damn near freeze to death

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
There's pretty girls in Kansas City
And a man can have a ball
But the women in Ouachita Parish
Drive a young man up the wall
[Chorus]

[Verse 4]
Well, I thought I'd go out to Tulsa
And ride in a rodeo
Red beans and rice sure would be nice
Back where the Mississippi River flows

[Chorus]

[Outro]
Because it don't seem like much
When sweet Louisiana's waiting on the other side