At first (birth) mama papa called their little boy Ned Raised him on the banks of a river bed A houseboat tied to a big tall tree A home for my papa and my mama and me The clock strikes three papa jumps to his feet Already mama's cookin' papa somethin' to eat At half past papa he's a-ready to go He jumps in his pirogue and he's down the bayou He's got fishin' lines strung up on the Looziana rivers Try to catch a big fish for us to eat He set the traps in the swamp catchin' anything he can Try to make a livin', he's a Looziana Man Try to make a livin', he's a Looziana Man Muskrat hides hangin' by the dozens Even got a lady mink, a muskrat's cousin Got ‘em out dryin' in the hot, hot sun Tomorrow papa's gonna turn ‘em into mon(ey) Well they call mama Rita and my daddy Jack Little baby brother on the floor that's Mack
Fred and Lynn are the family twins* Big brother Ed's on the bayou fishin' On the river floats papa's great big boat That's how my papa goes into town Takes every bit of a night and a day And even takes place where the people stay** I can hardly wait until tomorrow comes around That's the day my papa takes the furs to town Papa promised me that I could go Even let me see a cowboy show I seen the cowboys and Indians for the first time then I told my papa gotta 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 up on the Looziana rivers Try to catch a big fish for us to eat He set the traps in the swamp catchin' anything he can Try to make a livin', he's a Looziana Man Try to make a livin', he's a Looziana Man