原版歌詞
Old man river
There is an old man called Mississippi,
That's the old man I don't like to be.
What does he care if the world' d got troubles,
What does he care if the land ain' t free.
Don' t look up, and don' t look down !
You don't just make the white boss frown,
Bend your knees and bow your head,
And pull that rope until you're dead!
Let me go way from the Mississippi,
Let me go way from the white man boss.
Show me that stream call de river Jordan,
Dat de old stream dat I long to cross.
Old man river,
Dat old man river!
He must know something,
But don't say nothing.
He just keeps rolling,
He keeps on rolling along.
He don' t plant tatoes,
He don' t plant cotton,
And dem dat plant'em is soon forgotten,
But old man river,
He just keeps rolling along.
You and me we sweat and strain,
Body all aching and rocked wid pain.
Tote dat barge and lift dat bale,
Get a little drunk and you'll land in jail.
But I keep laughing instead of crying,
I must keep fighting until I'm dying,
But old man river,
He just keeps rolling along.
譯文 （我隻有這個最終版本）
黑人勞動在密西西比河上，
黑人勞動白人來享樂，
黑人工作到死不得休息,
從早推船直到太陽落.
白人工頭多凶惡，
且莫亂動招災禍，
彎下腰低下頭，
我拉起纖繩把船拖。
讓我快快離開白人工頭，
快快離開密西西比河。
請你告訴我那個地方，
我要渡過古老的約旦河。
老人河，啊，老人河！
你知道一切，但總是沉默，
你滾滾奔流，你總是不停地流過。
他不種番薯也不種棉花，
那耕種的人早被人遺忘。
但老人啊，你總是不停地流過。
我們流血又流汗，
渾身酸痛受折磨，
為了免得坐監牢，
還要拉船扛包裹。
我們這樣地痛苦疲倦，
既害怕死亡，又厭倦生活。
但老人河啊！你總是不停地流過。
