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 [unverified]