well i spent the better part of my life
on a mississippi riverboat
i used to be known from coast to coast
as the slickest gambler afloat
i’ve dealt the cards from minnesota
to the harbor in new orleans
i made a lotta big money on the riverboat
i loved a lotta pretty riverboat queens
riverboat riverboat
i love your whistle’s wail
i wish i was back on the riverboart
‘stead of in the memphis jail
oh a big man got on the riverboat
our last time in st paul
he had a lotta money but his luck went bad
and the riverboat won it all
he said i dealt from the bottom of the deck
and he pulled a shiny knife
but before that gambler lunged at me
my 44 took his life
riverboat riverboat
i love your whistle’s wail
i wish i was back on the riverboart
‘stead of in the memphis jail
well they came on the boat and they took me to jail
when we got to tennessee
a gamblin’ man has very few friends
guess nobody cared for me
so i might be here for a many long years
but if i ever get out
i’m gonna head straight for that levee
and get me a riverboat headin’ south
riverboat riverboat
i love your whistle’s wail
i wish i was back on the riverboart
‘stead of in the memphis jail
‘stead of in the memphis jail
Artist: Faron Young
Year: 1960
Decade: 60s
Language: en
Word Count: 122