The first three verses and the last verse are by the Carter Family. The other verses are my effort to fill in the details of the Passover story.
The two lines after each 4 line verse are repeated, except for the one that lists the plagues.
Away by the river so clear
The ladies were winding their way
And Pharaoh's little daughter
Stepped down in the water
To bathe in the cool of the day
(Repeat next two lines)
Before it was dark she opened the ark
And found the sweet infant was there
And away by the water so blue
The infant was lonely and sad
She took him in pity and thought him so pretty
And it made little Moses so glad
She called him her own, her beautiful son
And sent for a nurse that was near
And away by the river so clear
They carried the beautiful child
To his own tender mother, his sister and brother
Little Moses looked happy and smiled
His mother so good done all that she could
To rear him and teach him with care
So Moses was raised as a prince
He knew that his people were slaves
He lived with the secret, so careful to keep it
To save him from Pharoah’s cruel ways
Then an overseer’s lash, on a slave’s back did slash
Which caused all his anger to break
He struck at the overseer’s head
He saw that the man was now dead
Afraid of the malice, he’d face at the palace
To the desert poor Moses then fled
In Midian’s wastes, he found a new place
And spent his days tending his flock
One day as he walked by the way
A burning bush he chanced to see
From out of the flames, a voice did declaim
Tell Pharoah to set the Jews free
When he heard God’s voice, he knew he’d no choice
To Egypt he knew he must go
So Moses went to see Pharoah
He told him “Let my people go”
But Pharoah did scoff, he told him buzz off
He told Moses no and twice no.
Then God sent a plague, turned the rivers to blood
And Pharoah said you can go free
But Pharoah went back on his word
Refusing to let the Jews go
So God sent more plagues, the Pharoah to sway
But Pharoah would not let them go
(Not repeated)
Frogs, lice, and beasts, and cattle disease
But Pharoah would not let them go
Boils and fierce hail, locusts and night
But Pharoah would not let them go
The Lord set nine plagues on the land
But still Pharoah would not relent
But the game was not over, God called for his closer
Twas the Angel of Death that he sent
Throughout all the land, first born sons were slain
Save those that the pesach had marked.
At last Pharoah could not say no
He told all the Jews they could go
So fearing to tarry, they took what they could carry
And off to the Sinai they flowed.
They fled in such haste, their bread could not bake
Unleavened bread was what they ate
And away by the sea that was red
Little Moses, the servant of God
While in him confided the sea was divided
As upward he lifted his rod
The Jews they could cross while Pharaoh's host
Was drownded in the water and lost