Ol' Man River
The Raven(s) Lyrics

Ol' man river, that ol' man river
Here comes the old man river once again on his usual course

He must know somethin', but he don't say nothin'
The river seems mysterious, it appears like it has something to share; a piece of secret knowledge maybe? But it doesn't speak a word

He just keeps rollin'
Nothing stops the river in its path; it just continues to flow

He keeps on rollin' along
The river is consistent and reliable; it never wavers

He don't plant taters, he don't plant cotton
Unlike us humans, the river doesn't need to put in any effort to produce anything

An' them that plants' 'em is soon forgotten
Compared to the river, humans are forgettable and their work doesn't last

But ol' man river
Even though it doesn't do anything special or unique, the river is still impressive

He just keeps rollin' along
The river is still moving onwards, still doing what it does best

You an' me, we sweat an' strain
We humans have to work hard to get things done; it's not easy

Body all achin' and wracked with pain
Our bodies suffer from all the labor we have to do

Tote that barge! Lift that bale!
We have to carry heavy loads, and it's not an easy job

You get a little drunk an' you land in jail
Sometimes we make mistakes and we suffer the consequences

I get weary and sick of tryin'
Sometimes we just get tired of trying so hard continuously

I'm tired of livin' and scared of dyin'
Sometimes life is exhausting and scary

But ol' man river
Despite our struggles, the river never falters

He just keeps rollin' along
The river keeps moving forward, a constant reminder of the unyielding force of nature