Steamin' down the muddy waters   Travelin' yonder from bay to bay   I been workin' on the barge line   Fourteen years ago today   Eighteen hours hard labor by the day   Ain't much pay for a man      Chorus:   Haulin' coal down the down river   And he won't be comin' home for a long time      Torches burning by the riverside   Cast their shadows grey as stone   And the cool october days replacing   Much warmer thoughts of home   I can still see grandma sittin' on the porch   Tellin' the neighbors she's got a grandson      Chorus:   Haulin' coal down the down river   And he won't be comin' home for a long time      River's rising up the marker line   While the willows softly moan   Sun is rising over the starboard shore   Paving the golden road back home      I can still see the kids jumpin' rope   But there ain't much hope for a man      Chorus:   Haulin' coal down the down river   And he won't be comin' home for a long time      Haulin' coal down the down river   I'll be gone a long time      Haulin' coal down the down river   I'll be gone a long while