The sounds of English…
a listening experience
Papa was a rollin’ stone The Temptations
Docks at Ometepe Island, Rivas, Nicaragua
All Direction Album The Temptations
The Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and produced by Whitfield. Released as a single on the Gordy label in late September 1972, the song became an instant hit, rising to no 1 in the Billboard Charts. This song has many idioms to describe the main character, the father of a child, who dies young from a life of drinking and illegal, dishonest jobs.
The lyrics
[Verse 1: Dennis Edwards]
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 meet 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
[Hook]
(Papa was a rolling stone)
(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, yeah
(Wherever he laid his hat was his home)
(And when he died) all he left us was (alone)
Well, well
[Verse 2: Dennis Edwards, Melvin Williams and Richard Street]
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
I heard them talking 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
[Hook]
(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) dadgummit
(Wherever he laid his hat was his home)
(And when he died) all he left us was (alone)
Uhh!
[Verse 3: Damon Harris and Richard Street]
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
[Hook]
(Papa was a rolling stone) well well well well
(Wherever he laid his hat was his home) hey yeah huh
(And when he died) all he left us was alone lone lone lone alone
(Papa was a rolling stone) huh huh huh huh huh huh
(Wherever he laid his hat was his home) hey yeah
(And when he died) all he left us was alone
I say yeah
[Hook]
(Papa was a rolling stone) yes he was
(Wherever he laid his hat was his home) huh huh huh
(And when he died) all he left us was alone
My daddy was
(Papa was a rolling stone) yes he was hey yeah
(Wherever he laid his hat was his home)
[Outro]
Ahhhh ha ha
Vocabulary
Papa was a rollin’ stone A rolling stone, when used to describe a person, simply means that the person moves around and has no fixed city or home. For a time, I traveled the country with my guitar, playing anywhere they let me do my thing. You could say I was a rolling stone, wandering without a home.
Never heard nothin’ but bad things about him Equivalent to saying, I never heard any good thing about him. My teacher never says nothin’ but bad things about my conduct in school. From a grammatical point of view this idiom, like most of them, is incorrect for it has two negatives used in the same sentences: nothin’ and never, but idioms are popular expressions and follow their own rules.
Hung her head To lower your head and look down in shame. Embarrassed, she hung her head, so the crowd would not see her cry.
wherever he laid his hat was his home An expression used to express that he had no home and slept where he could. He was a homeless man that would look for a place to sleep when it got dark; wherever he laid his hat was his home for that night. This is equivalent to he was a rolling stone.
all he left us To leave something for someone else to have when you die, generally called an inheritance. My father left me his house, and my mother left me her money. All my papa left me was alone!
some bad talk goin’ round town An idiom used to express that you have heard different people saying the same bad or mean things about something or someone. Hey John, I have listened to a lot of bad talk goin’ around town about how your brother made his fortune.
outside children Children with a person outside of the marriage. A child with a woman that is not his wife or with a man that is not her husband. His father had an outside son that was two-years-older than me.
that ain’t right An idiomatic expression meaning that is not correct. My brother’s been late to school every day this week. That ain’t right!
store front preachin’ To talk about a religious subject at a religious meeting, especially in the streets where this is a crowd, many times to ask for money by dishonest people. He made a lot of money by store front preachin’ on Main Street during the rush hour.
leechin’ Someone who tries to get money, food, or other benefits from someone else. That man never worked and would live by leechin’ off his family.
Dealing in dirt To conduct dishonest, shady deals or business. My neighbor made a living by dealing in dirt on the streets.
stealing in the name of the Lord To get money from people by deceiving them and pretending you represent God or a particular religion. They go from town to town, pretending to be missionaries from a church and stealing in the name of the Lord.
A jack of all trades A person that can do many kinds of work, but typically does not do them well. He teaches in schools, fixes bathrooms, repairs cars, and many other things. He’s a jack of all trades and master of none!
an early grave An expression that means to die unnaturally young, generally because of some bad habit or behavior. With your kind of life, son, you’re just digging yourself an early grave, wait and see!
beg, borrow, or steal To do anything you can to do or get something, I don’t care if you have to beg, borrow, or steal, but you are going to pay me this week!
chasing women A person that has the habit of seducing women. Instead of chasing women all day, you should get a job!
The Listening Exercises
Papa was a rollin’ stone, The temptations, Single, 1972
Original version by The Temptations, this was the hit that climbed the charts in a surprisingly fast way. It has clear vocals, pronunciation, and easy to understand.
Papa was a rollin’ stone, Issac Hayes & Soul II
A great rendition by Issac Hayes, excellent backup vocals. Easy to follow the lyrics with the clear English pronunciation of this slang-filled cover.
Mr. Groove Papa Was a Rolling Stone
This band from Nashville, USA, does a highly rhythmical version of this cover. Darryl Johnson’s lead voice is crystal clear, but difficult to understand at times. The background vocals also offer an accesible interpretation of the lyrics.
Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone Sugar Lime Blue #SundayShoutOut
Ashley Beth’s voice gives this rendition a special Delta Blues feeling. A superb interpretation by this hippie style group. It should be easy to follow the lyrics throughout the performance.
Papa Was A Rolling Stone – Oakland Stroke feat. Lou Pomanti
A cool rhythmic version with different backup voices that make this cover a good listening workout.
Papa Was A Rolling Stone The Temptations cover Sarah Collins
Sarah Collins has a rich, melodious voice. Her pronunciation is flawless and makes listening to the lyrics quite an easy job.
Phil Collins Papa Was A Rolling Stone 2010
Together with Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, Phil Collins is one of the three persons that have sold over 150 million records worldwide. This is a rhythmical interpretation with the British singer Americanized, easy to understand, pronunciation.
Rare Earth – Papa was a rolling stone (The Temptations cover)
This cover track was included in the album A brand new Earth, an effortless listening interpretation by the American band from Detroit. All the voices are clear and can be easily understood.
MICHAEL JACKSON & Jackson 5 Papa was a rolling stone
This live rendition, Papa was a rollin’ stone, was produced in 1974. The video is not the best quality, but this is a classic performance by The Jacksons, and worth viewing. The lyrics are sung by the different members and give a variety of accents to their pronunciation.
Marcus Miller – Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone (Live on NSJ 2015)
This is an instrumental version of the song and has no vocals, but is a highly recommended interpretation. Marcus Miller’s rendition of the song’s melody is, without doubt, the best bass version of this song.
There are a variety of different voices singing the same beautiful lyrics. Each voice with its own pace, inflection, and personality. Listen to these different versions, and exercise your English listening skills, remember that learning is fun, so enjoy!
All photographs by ©edudelcorral
Talking easy, the English lessons The Listening Exercises