Ol' Man River
Kern-Hammerstein Lyrics
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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
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 rollin' along
“Ol’ Man River” is a song expressing the genuine pain experienced by the African-American people working “long the Mississippi” during the era of sharecropping and segregation. This song presents a vivid picture of the life led by African-American laborers who were forced to work hard and tirelessly along Mississippi during the hot, humid Mississippi summer. The first stanza highlights the fact that black people work hard inside the Mississippi cotton fields and never got adequate rest, as they were expected to put in more work hours than whites. Meanwhile, white people had the chance to relax, play and enjoy the Mississippi sun. The second stanza refers to the captivating sight of Mississippi river as it rolls directionlessly, a metaphor for the uncertain and brutal condition of African-Americans, constantly being used and exploited.
The third part of the song implies that there is an existential strife between life and death for the African-American laborer. The music reflects a mixture of sadness and weariness that many black people felt while working in the intense heat, using powerful metaphors and an apt description of the pain, agony, fatigue and hopelessness experienced by many African Americans in the United States at the time. Nevertheless, the image of the river rolling on after many years of witnessing the extreme hardships of African Americans can be interpreted as a symbol of hope that the struggles of slavery would come to an end eventually.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we all work 'long the Mississippi
We all work along the Mississippi river.
Here we all work while the white folk play
While white people play, we continue working.
Pullin' them boats from the dawn 'till sunset
We work from sunrise to sunset pulling boats.
Gettin' no rest 'till the judgment day
We don't get any rest until the day of judgment.
Don't look up and don't look down
Don't look up or down.
You don't das make the boss man frown
If you don't do this, the boss man will frown.
Bend your knees and bow your head
Bend your knees and bow your head.
And pull that rope until your dead
Pull the rope until you're dead.
Let me go 'way from the Mississippi
Let me leave the Mississippi river.
Let me go 'way from the white man boss
Let me leave the boss who is a white man.
Show me that stream called the river jordan
Show me the stream called River Jordan.
That's the old stream that I long to cross.
That's the old stream that I want to cross.
Ol' man river, that ol' man river
Old man river, he's an old man river.
He don't say nothin', but he must know somethin'
He doesn't say anything, but he must know something.
He just keeps rollin', he keeps on rollin' along
He just keeps rolling, he keeps on rolling along.
He don't plant tatters, and he don't plant cotton
The river doesn't plant potatoes or cotton.
And them what plants em, are soon forgotten
Those who plant them are soon forgotten.
But ol' man river, just keeps rollin' along
But old man river keeps rolling along.
You and me, we sweat and strain
We sweat and strain.
Body all achin' and racked with pain
Our bodies are aching and in pain.
Tote that barge and lift that bail
Carry that barge and lift that bale.
You get a little drunk and you lands in jail
If you get a little drunk, you'll land in jail.
I gets weary, and sick of trying
I get weary and sick of trying.
I'm tired of livin', but I'm scared of dyin'
I'm tired of living but scared of dying.
But ol' man river, he just keeps rollin' along
But old man river keeps rolling along.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar Ii Hammerstein
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@null1924
the line "I'm tired of living, but scared of dying," never fails to make tear me up
@4HCEO
Wow! Majestic vocal talent. Magnificent. Stunning in delivery and technique. Words are insufficient to describe. Orchestra and setting just the cherry on top. Kudos to all involved!
@donaldsunny7836
what a line "I'm tired of living, but scared of dying"
@charliekiernan5394
I think my favourite song lyric that Ive ever heard. Sums up so much of the human condition in 8 words.
@keidarvoice
Everything Roderick Williams sings is superbly sung. So what if he is not a bass? He has expansive pitch and dynamic ranges and a pallet of vocal colors that very few singer have, and he is musical, intelligent, and sincere. His diction is flawless. He is versatile because he sings FROM the music and the text, not from his ego, and has the technique to execute and deliver his outer voice, as his internal voice summons, with the proper balance of intellect, emotion, and style.
@princeopefadina4870
This is no doubt comment of a vocal coach and music Instructor.
@kas7303
Chills from start to finish
@JM-rs7io
🤔Great Performance. Being from the South I lived in Baton Rouge for a while RIGHT NEXT TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...
..Its a Big And Wide River and I always thought of that song when I went down by the river after work. Brings back memories that song does.😉
@grahamsapsford
Superb and masterfully moving performance of his own arrangement. The Promenaders absolutely loved this from Roderick Williams, as did I.
@oloniyosamuelolaitan8845
Wow! Roderick's voice is so beautiful. I couldn't stop watching. What a beautiful voice