Original Words and music by Pete Seeger (1967)

It was back in nineteen forty-two,
I was part of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in Louisiana,
One night by the light of the moon.
The captain said "You gotta ford the river."
That's where it all began.
We were -- knee deep in the Big Muddy,
But the d___ fool kept yellin' to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure,
This is the way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, I once crossed this river not a mile above this place.
It'll be a little bit soggy but just keep slogging.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the d___ fool kept yellin' to push on.

The Sergeant, "Sir, with all this gear
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nellie,"
The Captain said to him.
"All we need is a little determination;
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the d___ fool kept yellin' to push on.

All of a sudden, the moon clouded over,
All we heard a gurgling cry.
Seconds later, the captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around men!
I'm in charge here from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy
With the captain dead and gone.

We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn't know that the water was deeper
Than the place he'd once been.
For another stream had joined the Muddy
'Bout a mile from where we'd gone.
We were lucky to get out of the Big Muddy
When the d___ fool kept yellin' to push on.

Well, you might not want to draw conclusions;
I'll leave that to yourself
Maybe you're still walking, maybe you're still talking
Maybe you still got your health.
But every time I hear the news
That old feeling comes back on;
We're -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the d___ fool keeps yellin' to push on.

Waist deep! Neck deep!
We'll be drowning before too long.
Neck deep in the Big Muddy
And the d___ fools keep yellin' to push on!

Push on!

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