"Papa Was A Rolling Stone" - The Temptations

"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a song originally performed by Motown recording act the Undisputed Truth in 1972, though it became much better known after a Grammy-award winning cover by the Temptations was issued later the same year. This latter version of the song became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" rose to number one on the U.S. pop charts and number five on the U.S. R&B charts, becoming the Temptations' final pop number-one hit. The song, the anchor of the 1972 Temptations album All Directions, won three 1973 Grammys.

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
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

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 storefront 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)
Wherever 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)
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he die all he left us was alone
(lone, lone, lone, alone)
Papa was a rolling stone
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
(yes he was, my son)
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all
he left us was alone
My daddy was
Papa was a rolling stone
(yes he was, yeah)

Wherever he laid his hat was his home)