I was born and raised on the river

It's the only life that I know

People 'round here have put a name on me

And I hear it wherever I go They call me river boy, river boy

Good for nothin' river boy

This old world don't hold a whole lot of joy

When you're nothin' but a river boy I do a lot of fishin' on the river

To make my livin' you see

When I take my catch to the market place

The people call out to me And they say, river boy, hey, river boy

You got any fish today there, river boy

I sell my ware, but nobody cares

About the feelin's of the river boy There's a pretty girl works at the market place

I see her there everyday

But when I try to talk to her

I can hear her papa say Come away from that river boy, he's a river boy

Nothin' but riff-raff, them river boys

No girl of mine is gonna waste her time

On a good for nothin' river boy So I head my boat back up the river

Back to my old fishin' place

I'm afraid this ol' river's gonna overflow

From the tears a-fallin' down my face I'm nothin' but a river boy, river boy

A good for nothin' river boy

This old world don't hold a whole lot of joy

When you're nothin' but a river boy River boy, river boy

A good for nothin' river boy

River boy