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It was the third of September 01:55
That day I'll always remember, yes I will 01:59
'Cause that was the day, that my daddy died 02:04
I never got a chance to see him 02:12
Never heard nothin' but bad things about him 02:17
"Momma I'm depending on you, to tell me the truth" 02:21
And Momma just hung her head and said... 02:25
"Son, Papa was a rolling stone, (my son) 02:27
Wherever he laid his hat was his home 02:33
(And when he died) All he left us was alone 02:36
Papa was a rolling stone, (my son) 02:44
Wherever he laid his hat was his home 02:48
(And when he died) All he left us was alone 02:52
Well, well" 02:58
03:00
"Hey Momma, is it true what they say 03:30
That Papa never worked a day in his life? 03:33
And Momma, some bad talk goin' round town 03:38
Sayin' that Papa had three outside children and another wife 03:42
And that ain't right 03:46
Heard them talking Papa doing some store front preachin' 03:48
Talked about saving souls and all the time leeching 03:52
Dealing in debt, and stealing in the name of the Lord" 03:55
Momma just hung her head and said... 04:01
"Papa was a rolling stone, (my son) 04:03
Wherever he laid his hat was his home 04:08
(And when he died) All he left us was alone 04:11
Hey, Papa was a rolling stone, (my son) 04:18
Wherever he laid his hat was his home 04:24
(And when he died) All he left us was alone 04:27
Uh" 04:34
04:36
"Hey Momma, I heard Papa called himself a jack of all trades 04:58
Tell me, is that what sent Papa to an early grave? 05:03
Folks say Papa would beg, borrow, steal to pay his bills 05:08
Hey Momma, folks say that Papa never was much on thinking 05:13
Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking 05:19
Momma I'm depending on you to tell me the truth" 05:23
And Momma looked up with a tear in her eye and said... 05:28
"Son, Papa was a rolling stone (my son) 05:31
(Well, well, well, well) 05:33
Wherever he laid his hat was his home 05:35
(And when he died) All he left us was alone 05:38
Lone, lone, lone, alone 05:43
Papa was a rolling stone (my son) 05:47
Wherever he laid his hat was his home 05:51
(And when he died) All he left us was alone 05:55
I said, Papa was a rolling stone (my son) 06:01
Wherever he laid his hat was his home 06:07
(And when he died) All he left us was alone" 06:11
06:20

Papa Was A Rollin' Stone

By
The Temptations
Album
All Directions
Viewed
36,622,171
Learn this song

Lyrics:

[English]

It was the third of September

That day I'll always remember, yes I will

'Cause that was the day, that my daddy died

I never got a chance to see him

Never heard nothin' but bad things about him

"Momma I'm depending on you, to tell me the truth"

And Momma just hung her head and said...

"Son, Papa was a rolling stone, (my son)

Wherever he laid his hat was his home

(And when he died) All he left us was alone

Papa was a rolling stone, (my son)

Wherever he laid his hat was his home

(And when he died) All he left us was alone

Well, well"

...

"Hey Momma, is it true what they say

That Papa never worked a day in his life?

And Momma, some bad talk goin' round town

Sayin' that Papa had three outside children and another wife

And that ain't right

Heard them talking Papa doing some store front preachin'

Talked about saving souls and all the time leeching

Dealing in debt, and stealing in the name of the Lord"

Momma just hung her head and said...

"Papa was a rolling stone, (my son)

Wherever he laid his hat was his home

(And when he died) All he left us was alone

Hey, Papa was a rolling stone, (my son)

Wherever he laid his hat was his home

(And when he died) All he left us was alone

Uh"

...

"Hey Momma, I heard Papa called himself a jack of all trades

Tell me, is that what sent Papa to an early grave?

Folks say Papa would beg, borrow, steal to pay his bills

Hey Momma, folks say that Papa never was much on thinking

Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking

Momma I'm depending on you to tell me the truth"

And Momma looked up with a tear in her eye and said...

"Son, Papa was a rolling stone (my son)

(Well, well, well, well)

Wherever he laid his hat was his home

(And when he died) All he left us was alone

Lone, lone, lone, alone

Papa was a rolling stone (my son)

Wherever he laid his hat was his home

(And when he died) All he left us was alone

I said, Papa was a rolling stone (my son)

Wherever he laid his hat was his home

(And when he died) All he left us was alone"

...

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary Meanings

remember

/rɪˈmem.bər/

A2
  • verb
  • - to be able to bring back a piece of information into your mind

died

/daɪd/

A1
  • verb
  • - to stop living

truth

/truːθ/

B1
  • noun
  • - the real facts about something; the state of being true

stone

/stoʊn/

A1
  • noun
  • - rock

rolling

/ˈroʊ.lɪŋ/

B1
  • adjective
  • - moving by turning over and over

hat

/hæt/

A1
  • noun
  • - a covering for the head

home

/hoʊm/

A1
  • noun
  • - the place where one lives

alone

/əˈloʊn/

A2
  • adjective
  • - without other people

worked

/wɜːrkt/

A1
  • verb
  • - to do a job

town

/taʊn/

A1
  • noun
  • - a place where people live and work, smaller than a city

children

/ˈtʃɪl.drən/

A1
  • noun
  • - young human beings below the age of puberty or full physical development

wife

/waɪf/

A1
  • noun
  • - a married woman

saving

/ˈseɪ.vɪŋ/

B1
  • verb
  • - to keep something, especially money, for use in the future

souls

/soʊl/

B2
  • noun
  • - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.

stealing

/ˈstiː.lɪŋ/

B1
  • verb
  • - to take something dishonestly

beg

/beɡ/

B1
  • verb
  • - to ask for something earnestly or humbly

borrow

/ˈbɑː.roʊ/

A2
  • verb
  • - to receive something with the intention of returning it

bills

/bɪlz/

A2
  • noun
  • - a statement of money owed for goods or services

chasing

/ˈtʃeɪ.sɪŋ/

B1
  • verb
  • - to pursue someone or something in order to catch them

drinking

/ˈdrɪŋ.kɪŋ/

A1
  • verb
  • - to consume liquids

Grammar

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