connie smith
louisiana man
at birth mom and 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 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 big fish for us to eat he's setting traps in the swamp catching anything he can he's gotta make a living he's a louisiana man he's gotta make a living he's a louisiana man he's got muskrat hides hanging by the dozens even got a lady mink a muskrat's cousin got 'em out drying in the hot hot sun tomorrow papa's gonna turn 'em into mon they call mama rita and my daddy jack little baby brother on the floor that's mack bren and lin are the family twins and big brother ed's on the bayou fishing on the river floats papa's great big boat that's how my papa goes into town it takes every bit of a night and a day to even reach a place where people stay i can hardly wait until tomorrow comes around that's the day 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 but first there's work to be done he's got fishing lines strung across the louisiana rivers gotta catch a big fish for us to eat he's setting traps in the swamp catching anything he can he's gotta make a living he's a louisiana man he's gotta make a living he's a louisiana man