At birth mom and papa had their little boy Ned
Raised him on the banks of a river bed
Houseboat was tied to a big tall tree
A home for my mama and my papa and me
The clock strikes three and papa jumps to his feet
Already mama's cooking papa something to eat
At half past papa he's ready to go
He jumps in his pirogue headed down the bayou
He's got fishing lines strung across the Louisiana rivers
Gotta catch a fresh fish for us to eat
Traps in the swamp catching anything he can
Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana Man
Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana Man
Muskrat hides hanging by the dozens
Got about enough to make Muskrat's cousin
Got ‘em out drying in the hot, hot sun
Tomorrow papa's gonna turn ‘em into mon(ey)
They call mama Rita and my daddy Jack
Little baby brother on the floor that's Mack
Bren(da) and Lin(da) are the family twins
Big brother Ed's on the bayou fishing
Along papa came in a great big boat
That's how my papa take her furs to town
It takes every bit of a night and a day
To even take a place where the people stay
I can hardly wait until tomorrow comes around
That's when my papa takes his furs to town
Papa promised me that I could go
He'd even let me see a cowboy show
I saw the cowboys and Indians for the first time then
I told my pop I've gotta go again
Papa said son we've got lines to run
We'll come back again soon but there's work to be done
He's got fishing lines strung across the Louisiana rivers
Gotta catch a fresh fish for us to eat
Traps in the swamp catching anything he can
Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana Man
Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana Man
Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana Man
Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana Man
Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana Man
Gotta make a living, he's a Louisiana Man