I took a long, long trip to the city I was determined to get somewhere I spent all my hard earned money I had saved to put me there Big bayou where did you go To the river that's running slow And to the Gulf of Mexico Big bayou carry me home I took a cotton picking job in Memphis And the people there treated me good But my luck run bad in Nashville I had to walked the streets of Hollywood Big bayou where did you go To the river that's running slow Into the Gulf of Mexico Big bayou carry me home Gotta get away Gotta find a way Gotta get away home Oh Lord I'm going home Where the fish jump in the air You know I don't need a lot of money Cause I ain't going nowhere Big bayou where did you go To the river that's running slow Into the Gulf of Mexico Big bayou carry me home Big bayou carry me home To the river that's running slow Into the Gulf of Mexico Big bayou where did you go I'm gonna catch a southbound Train home one of these days