OLD MAN RIVER
(learned from Show Boat by Jerome Kern in 1948)(heard sung by William Warfield in 1948 and then again in 2005)
Ol' Man River, that Ol' Man River,
(from miriam berg's folksong collection)
He mus' know somethin', but don't say nothin',
He jes' keeps rollin', he keeps on rollin' along.
He don't plant 'taters, he don't plant cotton,
And them that plants it is soon forgotten,
But Ol' Man River, he jes' keeps rollin' along.
You and me, we sweat and strain,
Body all achin' and racked with pain,
Tote that barge! and Lif' that bale!
You gets a little drunk and you lands in jail,
Heart gettin' weary, and sick of tryin',
I's tired of livin', but skeered of dyin',
But Ol' Man River, he jes' keeps rollin' along.