Ol' Man River
Frank Sinatra Lyrics


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Here we all work 'long the Mississippi
Here we all work while the white folk play
Pullin' them boats from the dawn till sunset
Gettin' no rest till the judgment day

Don't look up and don't look down
You don't das make the boss man frown
Bend your knees and bow your head
And pull that rope until your dead

Let me go 'way from the Mississippi
Let me go 'way from the white man boss
Show me that stream called the river Jordan
That's the old stream that I long to cross.

Ol' man river, that ol' man river
He don't say nothin', but he must know somethin'
He just keeps rollin', he keeps on rollin' along

He don't plant tatters, and he don't plant cotton
And them what plants em, are soon forgotten
But ol' man river, just keeps rollin' along

You and me, we sweat and strain
Body all achin' and racked with pain
Tote that barge and lift that bail
You get a little drunk and you lands in jail

I gets weary, and sick of trying

I'm tired of livin', but I'm scared of dyin'
But ol' man river, he just keeps rolin' along

Overall Meaning

Frank Sinatra's Ol' Man River is a classic tune that captures the experiences of black workers along the Mississippi in the early 20th century. The lyrics portray a sense of hopelessness and despair that these workers faced as they toiled day in and day out while their white counterparts enjoyed life. The first verse shows the workers' hardworking nature as they tirelessly pull boats while the white people get to play. They aren't even allowed to look up or down and have to keep their heads down and work to avoid the wrath of their boss.


The second verse captures the resigned nature of the workers as they realize their hard work won't amount to much in the grand scheme of things. The song's chorus, "Ol' man river, he don't say nothin', but he must know somethin'," conveys the idea that the river has been there for ages, and it must have seen and kept many secrets. The river, like life, moves on without any care about the struggles of the people around it. The last verse indicates the workers' exhaustion and desperation and their fear of death. Although they're tired of living, they're even more frightened of dying, and the only thing that keeps them going is the fact that "Ol' man river, he just keeps rollin' along."


Overall, the song has a powerful message and remains a cornerstone of American music. It highlights the plight of hardworking black Americans in the early 1900s and the hopelessness and lack of options they faced in a society determined to keep them down.


Line by Line Meaning

Here we all work 'long the Mississippi
We work tirelessly along the Mississippi River.


Here we all work while the white folk play
We work while others enjoy their leisure time without us.


Pullin' them boats from the dawn 'till sunset
We pull boats all day, from the early morning to sunset.


Gettin' no rest 'till the judgment day
We get no rest until our final judgment day.


Don't look up and don't look down
We are toiling, so we don't have time to admire or despair.


You don't das make the boss man frown
We must avoid disheartening or angering the boss man.


Bend your knees and bow your head
We must physically exert ourselves and humble ourselves.


And pull that rope until your dead
We must work until we die.


Let me go 'way from the Mississippi
I long to leave the Mississippi.


Let me go 'way from the white man boss
I long to escape the white man's authority.


Show me that stream called the river jordan
I yearn to see the River Jordan.


That's the old stream that I long to cross.
It's the stream I want to pass into the next life over.


Ol' man river, that ol' man river
The river is a metaphor for something much greater.


He don't say nothin', but he must know somethin'
The river may seem motionless but it knows secrets and feelings embedded deep in history.


He just keeps rollin', he keeps on rollin' along
The river has continued to flow despite the hardships of those who live along it.


He don't plant tatters, and he don't plant cotton
The river doesn't have to do the kind of backbreaking work that we do.


And them what plants em, are soon forgotten
People who plant crops come and go, leaving no trace behind for the river to remember.


But ol' man river, just keeps rollin' along
Despite all the changes happening around it, the river persists.


You and me, we sweat and strain
We work hard, enduring many physical difficulties.


Body all achin' and racked with pain
Our bodies suffer from the agony of work.


Tote that barge and lift that bail
We have to move large, heavy objects.


You get a little drunk and you lands in jail
The only way to forget our sorrows is to turn to alcohol, risking punishment or imprisonment for it.


I gets weary, and sick of trying
I become tired, disillusioned, and hopeless from trying so hard.


I'm tired of livin', but I'm scared of dyin'
I'm exhausted and hurt from life, but I'm too afraid of death to do anything about it.


But ol' man river, he just keeps rollin' along
Despite our troubles, the river keeps moving, as though saying 'life goes on'.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar Ii Hammerstein

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Mike


on The Lady Is A Champ

eight

She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She can't eat late and stay up all night, because unlike society types, she has to get up in the morning.

She likes the theatre and never comes late
She cares more about seeing the play than being seen making an entrance.

She never bothers with people she'd hate
Her friends are friends, not social trophies.

Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
While barrns and earls probably don't play craps, she associates with friends, not people to be seen with.

Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She doesn't "slum", the practice of the rich in the 30's, when the song was written, of touring poor neighborhoods dressed in rich clothes to "tut, tut" about the deplorable conditions, and congratulate each other for "caring about the poor"

Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
Doesn't trade gossip for acceptance among an in-crowd


She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
She cares more about how her hair feels than conforming with current hair fashions

Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
Since most of California is noticeably warmer and / or drier than New York, where the play the song was written for is set, this is probably a facetious excuse to like what she likes.


And she won't go to Harlem in Lincoln's or Ford's
Another reference to slumming, but facetious, since Lincolns and Fords were middle-class, not luxury brands when the lyric was written

Anonymous


on Try a Little Tenderness

Here are the correct lyrics

Try A Little Tenderness - Frank Sinatra - Lyrics

Oh she may be weary
Women do get wearied
Wearing that same old shabby dress
And when she’s weary
You try a little tenderness

You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating things she’ll may never possess
While she is without them
Try just a little bit of tenderness

It’s not just sentimental
She has her grieve and her care
And the words that soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
You wont regret it
Women don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
And it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness

Musical Interlude

And, it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness

Daniel


on The Way You Look Tonight

I met Frank Jr. in Las Vegas, a real gentleman. RIP you both.

Giorgi Khutashvili


on Theme from New York, New York

)))

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