CATFISH JOHN
Mama said don't go near that river
Don't be hangin' 'round old Catfish John
Come the morning I'd always be there
Walkin' in his footsteps in the sweet delta dawn
Take me back to another morning
To a time so long ago
When the sweet magnolias blossomed
Cotton fields as white as snow
Catfish John was a river hobo
Who lived and died by the river's bed
Looking back I still remember
I was proud to be his friend
Born a slave in the town of Vicksburg
Traded for a chestnut mare
Lord he never spoke in anger
Though his load was hard to bear