I t took a mighty good man with salty hands
And a migh ty long raft to keep the fore before the aft
You take ten good men and gu ts and luck
And you mig ht navigate the whi rl and the suck
Well the Tenne ssee River changed its mind At Chattanooga she ough ta unwind
She cou ld a run right on the Georgia Sea
But she cut right back through Tenn essee
Well th e settlers come by raft
And boat bringin' everything that could sta y a float
But lik e a loco horse that'll twist and buck
They hardly ever made it through the whi rl and the su ck
I t took a mighty good man with salty hands
And a migh ty long raft to keep the fore before the aft
You take ten good men and gu ts and luck
And you mig ht navigate the whi rl and the suck
General Washin gton was in his knicker bocks
The Cherokee Indians through the Chatta nooga Rocks
And the Chicka magua tribe and the Nickajack
They kept the watch where the riv er cut bac k
And if a raft or a boat ever rod e the bend
The Indians got 'em cause they ha d 'em hemmed in
I t took a mighty good man with salty hands
And a migh ty long raft to keep the fore before the aft
You take ten good men and gu ts and luck
And you mig ht navigate the whi rl and the suck