But they're bustin' down the docks
I'll become a memory
The bridge till the waters edge
They don't need us anymore
Floatin' down, down below
So where's a boat man to go?
Hauling freight from shore to shore
James River blues
From the hills to the sea
I could steer around the rocks
And the work's gotten slow
I've seen bad ones get it right
On the cool flow
I've seen good men going wrong
That big iron hauls much more
Than we ever could before
From the ridge to the ledge
James River blues
That train came on through
I think I'll float on down
As that river rolls along
James River blues
I'll be steppin' out tonight
To Richmond town