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 mamas cooking papa something to eat at half past papa hes ready to go he jumps in his pirogue headed down the bayou hes got fishing lines strung across the louisiana rivers gotta catch a big fish for us to eat hes setting traps in the swamp catching anything he can hes gotta make a living hes a louisiana man hes gotta make a living hes a louisiana man hes got muskrat hides hanging by the dozens even got a lady mink a muskrats cousin got em out drying in the hot hot sun tomorrow papas gonna turn em into mon they call mama rita and my daddy jack little baby brother on the floor thats mack bren and lin are the family twins and big brother eds on the bayou fishing on the river floats papas great big boat thats 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 thats the day my papa takes his furs to town papa promised me that i could go hed even let me see a cowboy show i saw the cowboys and indians for the first time then i told my pop ive gotta go again papa said son weve got lines to run well come back again but first theres work to be done hes got fishing lines strung across the louisiana rivers gotta catch a big fish for us to eat hes setting traps in the swamp catching anything he can hes gotta make a living hes a louisiana man hes gotta make a living hes a louisiana man songwriter doug kershaw2