When I was a boy,
My life was a joy
As I grew up in a land of pioneers.
In the bright sunshine
I would cast my line
And watch it float down the river.
Down the river, down the river
Down the mighty Zambezi;
Down the river, down the river
And her great white water's swallowed by the sea.
When I was a man,
My young life span
Fell within the boundaries of war.
We were soldiers bold,
And we patrolled
And we fought the foe down the river.
Down the river, down the river
Down the mighty Zambezi;
Down the river, down the river
And her great white water's swallowed by the sea.
The war raged on
And was finally won,
By whom and for what we'll never know
And some gave life,
The supreme sacrifice
And the rest were sold down the river.
Down the river, down the river
Down the mighty Zambezi;
Down the river, down the river
And her great white water's swallowed by the sea.
