At birth mom and papa called their little boy Ned
Raised him on the banks of a river bed
Houseboat tied to a big tall tree
Home for my papa and my mama and me
The clock strikes three papa jumps to his feet
Already mama's cooking papa something to eat
At half past  papa he's ready to go
Jumps in his pirogue headed down the bayou
He's got fishing lines strung across Louisiana Rivers
Gotta catch a big fish for us to eat
Setting 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
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 money
They call mama Rita and my daddy Jack
My little baby brother on the floor that's Mack
Bren and Lin are the family twins
Big brother Ed's on the bayou fishing
On the river floats papa's great big boat
And that's how my papa goes into town
Takes him every bit of a night and a day
To even reach a place where the people stay
But I can hardly wait until tomorrow comes around
That's the day my papa takes furs to town
Papa promised me that I could go
He'd even let me see a big cowboy show
Cowboys and Indians for the first time then
I told my papa I've gotta go again
Papa said  "Son we've got lines to run
We'll come back but now 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
Setting 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