For my birthday in September my wife treated me to a stage version of "Show Boat": it's a great play, much more powerful than the sanitized '50s era movie. "Ol' Man River" was, of course, written for the play.

Ol' Man River

(verse)
Dere's an ol' man called de Mississippi,
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd like to be;
What do he care dat de world's go trouble?
What do he care dat de land ain't free?

(chorus)
Ol' Man River, dat Ol' Man River,
He don't say nuthin', he mus' know somethin'.
But Ol' Man River, he jus' keep rollin' along.

He don' plant taters, he don' plant cotton,
And them that plants 'em is soon forgotten,
But Ol' Man River, he jus' keep rollin' along.

You an' me, we sweat and strain,
Bodies all achin' and wracked wit' pain:
"Tote dat barge, lif' dat bale,"
Y'git a little drunk and y'lands in jail.

My heart gits weary and tired of tryin',
I'm sick of livin' but 'feared of dyin',
But Ol' Man River, he jus' keep rollin' along.

There's another verse that's sometimes sung that begins

Colored folk work on de Mississippi,
Colored folk work while de white folk play..."

--seed