“Louisiana Man” is a song originally written and recorded by American country artist Doug Kershaw in 1961. It peaked at #10 that year on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart when Kershaw and his brother released it as Rusty and Doug.

In 1970 American country music artist Connie Smith reached #14 with a cover version. The single spawned the release of Smith’s 1970 studio album I Never Once Stopped Loving You, on which the song was included.
This song was recorded as a single by Jan & Dean in 1966 and was planned to be released on their album Carnival of Sound in 1968. Carnival of Sound was not released until 2010. Other versions were recorded as an album track that year by the Seekers, Rick Nelson, and Gene Pitney. Bobbie Gentry covered the song on a 1968 single. Harpers Bizarre recorded it on their 1967 album Anything Goes. It was also recorded by The Hollies.
“Louisiana Man” is repeatedly mentioned in the chorus of the Alabama song “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band).”
Doug Kershaw – Louisiana Man Lyrics
At birth mom and papa called their little boy Ned
Raised him on the banks of a river bed
A houseboat tied to a big tall tree
A home for my papa and my mama and me
The clock strikes three and papa jumps to his feet
Already mama’s cooking papa something to eat
At half past papa he’s ready to go
He jumps in his pirogue headed down the bayou
He’s got fishing lines strung across the Louisiana rivers
Gotta catch a big fish for us to eat
He’s setting traps in the swamp catching anything he can
He’s gotta make a living, he’s a Louisiana Man
He’s gotta make a living, he’s a Louisiana Man
He’s got muskrat hides hanging by the dozens
Even got a lady mink, a muskrat’s cousin
Got ‘em out drying in the hot, hot sun
Tomorrow papa’s gonna turn ‘em into mon
They call mama Rita and my daddy Jack
Little baby brother on the floor that’s Mack
Bren(da) and Lin(da) are the family twins
And big brother Ed’s on the bayou fishing
On the river floats papa’s great big boat
That’s how my papa goes into town
It takes every bit of a night and a day
To even reach a place where people stay
I can hardly wait until tomorrow comes around
That’s the day my papa takes his furs to town
Papa promised me that I could go
He’d even let me see a cowboy show
I saw the cowboys and Indians for the first time
Then I told my pop I’ve gotta go again
Papa said son we’ve got lines to run
We’ll come back again but first there’s work to be done
He’s got fishing lines strung across the Louisiana rivers
Gotta catch a big fish for us to eat
He’s setting traps in the swamp catching anything he can
He’s gotta make a living, he’s a Louisiana Man
He’s gotta make a living, he’s a Louisiana Man