This old riverboat walking up the river
Keep her steady as you go
Heave the lead and pay the line
Now we're marking on the twine
Four fathoms below
Way up the river we go.
This old riverboat walking by the levee
Keep her steady as you go
Think I hear the captain say,
Full ahead we're on our way
Three fathoms below
Way up the river we go.
Keep on a-moving gotta beat old Dixie
Or we'll come back empty I know
Way down the river I can hear her whistle blow.
This old riverboat churning muddy water
Ease er' down and take it slow
Can't you hear that rumbling sound
Lord, I think we've run aground
No fathoms below
You'd better pray it ain't so.
We're mucking bottom, and here comes old Dixie
Singing who's got that cotton to sell?
Ah, but when she's passing
We're rising high on her swell.
We're on the move again.
These two riverboats, racing up the river,
Then old Dixie runs aground
There she stands high and dry,
And we're walking right on by
I can see the lights of town
We're gonna roll that cotton down
This old riverboat seen a lot of water
Lot of cotton, you can bet.
You can ask anyone you meet,
They say she can't be beat.
She ain't never been yet.
Can't you hear that whistle blow.
Way up the river we go.
Walking up the river we go
Up and down the river we go.
Keep her steady as you go
Heave the lead and pay the line
Now we're marking on the twine
Four fathoms below
Way up the river we go.
This old riverboat walking by the levee
Keep her steady as you go
Think I hear the captain say,
Full ahead we're on our way
Three fathoms below
Way up the river we go.
Keep on a-moving gotta beat old Dixie
Or we'll come back empty I know
Way down the river I can hear her whistle blow.
This old riverboat churning muddy water
Ease er' down and take it slow
Can't you hear that rumbling sound
Lord, I think we've run aground
No fathoms below
You'd better pray it ain't so.
We're mucking bottom, and here comes old Dixie
Singing who's got that cotton to sell?
Ah, but when she's passing
We're rising high on her swell.
We're on the move again.
These two riverboats, racing up the river,
Then old Dixie runs aground
There she stands high and dry,
And we're walking right on by
I can see the lights of town
We're gonna roll that cotton down
This old riverboat seen a lot of water
Lot of cotton, you can bet.
You can ask anyone you meet,
They say she can't be beat.
She ain't never been yet.
Can't you hear that whistle blow.
Way up the river we go.
Walking up the river we go
Up and down the river we go.