Ol’ Man River is a classic show tune from the 1927 musical Show Boat, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, written in 1925. The song is sung from the viewpoint of a Black stevedore on a showboat, contrasting the hard labor of African Americans with the endless, unfeeling flow of the Mississippi River. It is traditionally performed as a slow bass solo and is the show’s most famous number. The piece was intended for a baritone voice and was first performed in the Broadway production in 1927; one of the early recordings came out in 1927, and a widely heard later version by Paul Robeson with Paul Whiteman’s orchestra was released in 1928. Robeson’s 1936 film rendition helped cement the song’s place in American culture, and the lyrics have been altered in various performances over the years. The composition entered the public domain on January 1, 2023.
