- Joe: [singing] I gits weary / An' sick o' tryin' / I'm tired o' livin' / An' scared o' dyin' / But Ol' Man River / He jes' keeps rollin' along!
- Steve: You wouldn't call a man a white man that had Negro blood in him, would you?
- The Sheriff: No, I wouldn't; not in Mississippi. One drop of Negro blood makes you a Negro in these parts!
- [Parthy has just gone to bed, and Cap'n Andy is flirting with three chorus girls in a hotel lobby]
- Chorus Girl: Pops, who was that?
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: That was Parthenia, my wife.
- Chorus Girl: Oh, my mistake!
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: No... mine!
- Chorus: [first lines; the opening credits are halfway through and still being shown, when we hear the black chorus singing offscreen:] Darkies all work while the white men play,/Loading up boats with the bales of cotton/ Gittin' no rest till de Judgement Day. /Git yourself a brand new gal, /A lovin' baby who's the apple of your eye,/ Coal Black Rose or High Brown Sal,/ They always bake the sparrer and the chickin pie!/ Darkies all work on the Mississippi,/Darkies all work while the white folks play/ Loadin' those boats with the bales of cotton, / Gittin' no rest till the Judgement Day.
- [steamboat whistle sounds offscreen and picture changes to a shot of the showboat arriving in the distance and the black chorus singing onscreen]
- Chorus: Cotton Blossom, Cotton Blossom,/ Long to see you growin' free,/When they pack you on the levee/ you're a heavy load to me!/ Cotton Blossom, Cotton Blossom/ Long to see you growin' wild...
- Young Black Man: There's the show boat!
- Chorus: [singing] On the levee, you're too heavy/ For this poor black child!
- [the workers run to the dock. The calliope plays as we see shots of townspeople running toward the dock. Then band plays]
- Parthy: [on the boat, over the noise of the band] Andy! Andy!
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Goshamighty, woman, what's eatin' ya?
- Parthy: Did you tell the band to wear their new uniforms?
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Course I did. What did we get 'em fer?
- Parthy: You'll have 'em all ruined!
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Goshamighty, well, look, they're waitin' for us. That's our public! Hiya, public!
- [He waves and the crowd cheers]
- Parthy: I could say that my name was Bonaparte, and show you Napoleon's tomb; that wouldn't make him my grandfather would it?
- Frank: But this is Confederate money!
- Backwoodsman: That's the kind they use in the hills, it's as good as yours, ain't it?
- Frank: But this quarter - it don't ring!
- Backwoodsman: Whaddaya want for two bits - sleigh bells?
- Gaylord Ravenal: [saying farewell to Kim before he deserts her and Magnolia] And when I'm gone, you'll think of me, won't you?
- Kim as a child: Of course I will. And when you're gone, I always do what you tell me.
- Gaylord Ravenal: What was that?
- Kim as a child: Don't you remember? Make-believe!
- Gaylord Ravenal: [touched and on the verge of tears] That's right. I gave you a system for having everything you want.
- Julie: Love is such a funny thing. There's no sense to it. That's why you got to be so careful when it comes creepin' up on you.
- Joe: Ask Miss Julie what she thinks? Better ask Ol' River what he thinks. He knows all about dem boys. He knows all about everything.
- [singing]
- Joe: There's a ol' man called the Mississippi, Dat's de ol' man dat I like to be, What does he care if de world's got troubles, What does he care if de land ain't free, Ol' man river Dat ol' man river, He mus' know sumpin', But don't say nuthin', He jes' keeps rollin', He keeps on rollin' along...
- Joe: [singing] Darkies all work on de Mississippi, Darkies all work while de white folks play, Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset, Gittin' no rest till de judgement day
- Black Chorus: Don't look up an' don't look down, You don' dar'st make de white boss frown, Bend your knees an' bow your head, An' pull dat rope until you're dead
- Joe: Let me go 'way from the Mississippi, Let me go 'way from de white man boss, Show me dat stream called de river Jordan, Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross...
- Mother: Did you understand the moral of the play, my dear?
- Little Girl: Oh,sure, ma. Did you see how he kissed her?
- Mother: Yes! I hardly thought that was in the best of taste!
- Backwoodsman with Gun: Seein' as how this is the first show we ever seed, you better give me and my friend Zebe here the best two seats in the thee-ay-ter.
- Magnolia: I never complained. I've lived like this half the time - washing clothes, cooking food over a gas jet, but I loved him. And if all that came with him, I was willing to take care of it. I thought he knew that.
- Jim Green: [Referring to Julie, who's left.] Why didn't you stop her?
- Sam, Doorman at Trocadero: Say, I'm a doorman, not a nursemaid!
- Parthy: We don't usually pick up actors off the wharves, but we can't be choosy right now!
- Gaylord Ravenal: Madam, your courtesy is only exceeded by your charm.
- Pete: [showing Julie's picture to the Sheriff] See that?
- The Sheriff: Why that's Miss Julie LaVerne, ain't it?
- Pete: Yeah, that's what she calls herself, ever since she got married to a white man!
- The Sheriff: What d'ya mean?
- Pete: Frank, come over here; I want you to hear this. You too, Ellie.
- The Sheriff: Sit down and explain yourself. And you make sure you know what you're talkin' about.
- Jim Green: Queer how a woman goes to pieces over a man. She was the best bet in Chicago, until that curly-haired tramp threw her down.
- Parthy: He's a murderer!
- Magnolia: Mama!
- Parthy: You're letting my daughter marry a murderer!
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Who's the murderer?
- Parthy: That Ravenal! He killed a man.
- Magnolia: Gay!
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Then why ain't he in jail or hanged?
- The Sheriff: The jury figured the gentleman he killed oughta went anyhow.
- Parthy: Andy Hawks, are you going to stand there and let your only child marry a murderer?
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Oh don't be so narrow minded, Mrs. Hawks. I killed a man myself once.
- Parthy: You killed?
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Yes, me. Now, are you comin' with us, or ain't you? They're going to be married.
- Parthy: Married to a murderer! Oh!
- [she faints]
- Ellie May Chipley: She's fainted.
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Are you sure?
- The Sheriff: She's out.
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Good! Now we'll go on with the wedding.
- Parthy: Mercy! Something must be on fire the way Queenie's running
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: Now what's the trouble, Queenie?
- Queenie: There's a powerful fine lookin' fella' out here, wants to know if you all could accommodate him by takin' him down the river fuh as the next town.
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: We don't carry no passengers - fine lookin' did you say? Is he an actor?
- Queenie: Might be. But he seems more like the kind of a gentleman it's a pleasure to wait on.
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: And if you can play the parts to my satisfaction, I'll give you 15 dollars a week and a chance to see the world.
- Gaylord Ravenal: I've seen it.
- Gaylord Ravenal: [singing] Who cares if my boat goes upstream? Or if the gale bids me go with the river's flow? I drift along with my fancy; sometimes I thank my lucky stars my heart is free...
- Frank: [as Ellie looks admiringly after Gaylord] What are you lookin' at?
- Ellie May Chipley: Bet he's some aristocrat.
- Frank: Yeah? Look at the cracks in his shoes.
- Gaylord Ravenal: [singing] ... and other times I wonder, where's the mate for me?
- Ellie May Chipley: Nolie, what's the matter? Is Gay hurt?
- Magnolia: No. Ellie, you read it. I may believe it if I hear somebody else say it.
- Pete: Hey, where'd you get that gold brooch?
- Queenie: You mean this scrumptious piece o' jewelry?
- Pete: Yeah, where'd you get it?
- Queenie: It was give tuh me.
- Pete: Who give it to you?
- Queenie: Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies!
- Queenie: [she walks off, laughing heartily]
- Pete: [muttering] I know who give it to you, and she's gonna be sorry too. All right, Miss Julie LaVerne, if that's how you feel about me...
- Pete: [He rips the photo of Julie out of its frame on the stand, but is seen by Windy.]
- Queenie: Joe. Joe! Where have you been slow poke? Why are you always draggin' them big feet like they's chunks of lead?
- Joe: Take your time, Queenie.
- Queenie: Take my time? I gotta have that flour to bake the bread with.
- Joe: They won't run away from you, Queenie. And if it do? They always be tomorrow.
- Gaylord Ravenal: Are you an actress?
- Magnolia: Oh! Oh, no. But, I'd give anything if I could be.
- Gaylord Ravenal: Why?
- Magnolia: Because - you can make believe so many wonderful things that never happen in real life.
- Queenie: They'll be some taters to peel later. And when I yell for ya, you come in and *make* it quick! Lazy, good for nothin'.
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: You got that, Rubber Face?
- Rubber Face: Yep! I got a cowbell.
- Cap'n Andy Hawks: It t'ain't a cowbell. It says here a cow's moos offstage. Have you got a moo effect?
- Rubber Face: Oh, I can do that myself. Mooooooo!
- Parthy: Shifty! That's what he is. Mark my words, if you asked around about him, you'd find something queer.
- Ellie May Chipley: [performing on stage] This is a man's world, as I know, to my sorrow, heaven help us. Young girls like us are like - flowers. We bloom in the sunshine, till plucked by a passing mule.
- Magnolia: [under her breathe] Male.
- Ellie May Chipley: What?
- Magnolia: Male.
- Ellie May Chipley: Male.
- Gaylord Ravenal: It seems to me I've seen that stocking some place. Where could it have been? Don't you belong to a Miss Magnolia Hawks? I thought so.
- Joe: [singing] Keep on a-naggin', 'n bullyraggin', 'n criticizin', 'n call me pizen, Ah ain't apologizin', no siree! No matter what you say, Ah still suits me...