[Verse 1]
Ol' man river, mm-hmm
Ol' man river
He don't say nothin'
But he must know somethin'
He just keeps a-rollin'
Keeps on rollin' along

[Verse 2]
He don't plant taters, uh-huh
Don't plant cotton
'Cause them that plant 'em
Are soon forgotten
But ol' man river
He just keeps rollin' along

[Bridge]
You and me, we sweat and strain
Bodies all achin' and wracked with pain
Tote that barge, you gotta lift that bale
Let's get drunk, spend the night in jail

[Verse 3]
I gets weary
I'm sick of tryin'
I'm tired of livin'
And I'm scared, scared of dyin'
But ol' man river
He just keeps, keeps a-rollin' along