Papa Was A Rolling Stone – English Lyrics

• By: The Temptations

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' offers a unique opportunity to delve into narrative storytelling in English. The song's conversational lyrics between the siblings and their mother provide a clear example of questioning and answering, while the descriptive verses about their father paint a vivid picture using rich vocabulary. The song's emotional depth and compelling story make it a memorable and engaging way to improve your English comprehension and explore the nuances of storytelling.

[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

Momma just hung her head and said, son

Papa was a rolling stone,

Where ever he laid his hat was his home

And when he died, all he left us was alone

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

Where ever he laid his hat was his home

And when he died, all he left us was alone

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 some talk Papa doing some store front preachin'

Talking about saving souls and all the time leechin'

Dealing in dirt, and stealing in the name of the Lord

Momma just hung her head and said

Papa was a rolling stone, (my son)

Where ever he laid his hat was his home

And when he died, all he left us was alone

Hey Papa was a rolling stone, (dad gumma it)

Where ever he laid his hat was his home

And when he died, all he left us was alone

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 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

Momma looked up with a tear in her eye and said, son

Papa was a rolling stone, (well, well, well, well)

Where ever 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,

Where ever he laid his hat was his home

And when he died, all he left us was alone

Where ever he laid his hat was his home

And when he died, all he left us was alone

(My daddy was, yes he was, yeah he was)

(Papa was a rolling stone,

Where ever he laid his hat was his home)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
remember /rɪˈmem.bər/ A2	verb - to be able to bring back a piece of information into your mind, or to keep a piece of information in your memory
daddy /ˈdædi/ A1	noun - father
chance /tʃæns/ A2	noun - opportunity
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the actual facts about something
rolling /ˈroʊ.lɪŋ/ B1	adjective - moving by turning over and over
stone /stoʊn/ A1	noun - rock
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 - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
wife /waɪf/ A1	noun - a married woman
preachin' /ˈpriːtʃɪŋ/ B2	verb - delivering a religious address or sermon
souls /soʊlz/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
dirt /dɜːrt/ A2	noun - soil or earth
Lord /lɔːrd/ A2	noun - God
grave /ɡreɪv/ B2	noun - a hole in the ground where a dead person is buried
bills /bɪlz/ A2	noun - a request for payment
thinking /ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/ A2	noun - the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
tear /tɪr/ A2	noun - a drop of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in the eye

Key Grammar Structures

• That day I'll always remember, yes I will

  ➔ Future Simple with Emphasis

  ➔ Use of "will" for emphasis. The speaker is not just stating a future event, but emphatically asserting that they *will* remember the day.

• I never got a chance to see him

  ➔ Past Simple with 'get a chance to'

  ➔ "got a chance to" means "had an opportunity to". This implies that an opportunity existed, but the speaker missed it.

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

  ➔ Present Continuous with 'depend on' for future action

  ➔ While 'depending' is present continuous, the phrase implies a future request. The speaker is relying on the mother to provide truthful answers in the *near* future.

• Wherever he laid his hat was his home

  ➔ Noun Clause Introduced by 'Wherever'

  ➔ 'Wherever he laid his hat' functions as the subject of the sentence. It's a place, albeit a temporary one, that acts as his home. 'Wherever' indicates any and all places he chose to stay.

• Is it true what they say that Papa never worked a day, in his life

  ➔ Cleft Sentence (It + be + that)

  ➔ The sentence structure using "It is true what they say that..." emphasizes the *truth* of what people are saying about the father. It highlights the information that follows the 'that' clause.

• Heard some talk Papa doing some store front preachin'

  ➔ Ellipsis (Omission of 'I')

  ➔ The sentence begins with 'Heard', implying 'I heard'. This is common in informal speech and song lyrics. It adds a casual and conversational tone.

• Folks say Papa would beg, borrow, steal

  ➔ 'Would' for repeated past actions

  ➔ 'Would' is used here to describe a habitual action in the past. It indicates that the father regularly engaged in begging, borrowing, and stealing.

• Folks say Papa never was much on thinking

  ➔ Informal Negative Construction 'never was much on'

  ➔ "never was much on" means the person was not very interested in something or did not do it often. It's an informal way to say the father didn't prioritize thinking.