At first mom and papa called their little boy Ned
They raised him on the banks of a riverbed
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 cooking papa somethin' to eat
At half past papa he's a ready to go
He jumps in his beero headed down the bayou

He's got fishin' lines strung across the Louisiana river
Gotta catch a big fish for us to eat
He's settin' his traps, catchin' anything he can
Gotta make a livin', he's a Lousiana man
Gotta make a livin', he's a Lousiana man

Muskrat hides hangin' by the dozen
Even got a little baby muskrat cousin
Got 'em out dryin' in the hot, hot sun
Tomorrow Papa's gonna turn 'em into mon

They call mama Rita and my daddy Jack
My little baby brother on the floor, that's Mac
Red and Len are the family twins
Big brother Ed's on the bayou fishin'

On the river floats papa's great big boat
That's how me and papa go into town
It takes every bit of a night and day
To even reach the place where the people stay
I can hardly wait tomorrow comes around
That's the day my Poppa takes the furs to town
Papa promised me that I could go
He even catch a cowboy show
I saw the cowboys and Indians for the first time then
I told my Papa: Got to go again
Papa said: Son, we got lines to run
We'll come back again 'cause there's work to be done

He's got fishin' lines strung across the Louisiana river
Gotta catch a big fish for us to eat
He'settin' his traps, catchin' anything he can
Gotta make a livin', he's a Lousiana man
Gotta make a livin', he's a Lousiana man
Gotta make a livin', he's a Lousiana man
Gotta make a livin', he's a Lousiana man