Old man river Slovenski oktet

"Ol' Man River" (music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) is a song in the 1927 musical Show Boat, that tells a melancholy story of African American hardship and struggles of the time Slovenski oktet was founded on the initiative of Slovene emigrants in the USA, who wanted having lived in a foreign land - their Slovene consciousness to be strengthened and ennobled by native Slovene song from »the old place«. On 27th September 1951, a famous audition took place in the premises of Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra in Ljubljana, after a tender had been put out by Ministry of Culture in cooperation with Slovene Emigration Association Colored folks work on de Mississippi, Colored folks work while de white folks play, Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset, Gittin' no rest till de judgement day Don't look up An' don't look down, You don' dast make De white boss frown. Bend your knees An'bow your head, An' pull date rope Until you' dead Let me go 'way from the Mississippi, Let me go 'way from de white man boss; Show me dat stream called de river Jordan, Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross O' man river, Dat ol' man river, He mus'know sumpin' But don't say nuthin' He jes' keeps rollin' He keeps on rollin' along. He don' plant tater, He don' plant cotton, An' dem dat plants 'em Is soon forgotten, but ol' man river, He jes' keeps rollin' along You an'me, we sweat an' strain, Body all achin' an' racket wid pain, Tote dat barge! Lif' dat bale! Git a little drunk An' you land in jail Ah gits weary An' sick of tryin' Ah'm tired of livin' An' skeered of dyin', But ol' man river, He jes'keeps rolling' along.