Grunf: Oldies

The Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone

"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" is a psychedelic soul song, written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong as a single for Motown act The Undisputed Truth in 1971. This version of "Papa" was released as a single in early 1972, and peaked at number 63 on the pop charts and number 24 on the R&B charts.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePr3dEOaAj4CDv42_HtlzrNfhB-YKVM0WYTy6tdcOcyO7Osa9el2U3BnxvzOdryY9IbuRag7y4xE0h825G64MS0-tsDHuWCNM5xOovOkfe8sviJozB3HthsxQUzX1CWjidFL9R1iClPU/s1600/Temptations-Papa-was.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePr3dEOaAj4CDv42_HtlzrNfhB-YKVM0WYTy6tdcOcyO7Osa9el2U3BnxvzOdryY9IbuRag7y4xE0h825G64MS0-tsDHuWCNM5xOovOkfe8sviJozB3HthsxQUzX1CWjidFL9R1iClPU/s1600/Temptations-Papa-was.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Later in 1972, Whitfield, who also produced the song, took "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and remade it as a 12-minute record for The Temptations, which was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and won three Grammy Awards in 1973.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHfjYkrpP2C5IK32Xn_Q045eIlF46k8Pu592KyxBF7g2jGrVCmlOf1Hcvvgn_qsZULyPQfQ_AKGOdicPpH7GTC1EP-SzrzaBcS5cP49YNuR9dv7RkCgTlmlLElBUWw32Ablm6-NBXEefZ/s1600/45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHfjYkrpP2C5IK32Xn_Q045eIlF46k8Pu592KyxBF7g2jGrVCmlOf1Hcvvgn_qsZULyPQfQ_AKGOdicPpH7GTC1EP-SzrzaBcS5cP49YNuR9dv7RkCgTlmlLElBUWw32Ablm6-NBXEefZ/s640/45.jpg" width="636" /></a></div><br />While the original Undisputed Truth version of the song has been largely forgotten, The Temptations' version of the song has been an enduring and influential soul classic. It was ranked #168 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, one of the group's three songs on the list. In retrospect, The Temptations' Otis Williams considers "Papa" to be the last real classic the group recorded.<br /><br /><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pJV2pWFyfn4?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3dWDJhLCgdo?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>"Papa Was A Rollin' Stone"</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It was the third of September</div><div style="text-align: center;">That day I'll always remember, yes I will</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cause that was the day, that my daddy died</div><div style="text-align: center;">I never got a chance to see him</div><div style="text-align: center;">Never heard nothin' but bad things about him</div><div style="text-align: center;">Momma I'm depending on you, to tell me the truth</div><div style="text-align: center;">Momma just hung her head and said, son</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Chorus]</div><div style="text-align: center;">Papa was a rolling stone, (my son)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Where ever he laid his hat was his home</div><div style="text-align: center;">and when he died, all he left us was alone</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Repeat Chorus]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hey Momma!</div><div style="text-align: center;">Is it true what they say that Papa never worked a day, in his life</div><div style="text-align: center;">And Momma, some bad talk goin' round town sayin' that Papa had three outside children</div><div style="text-align: center;">And another wife, and that ain't right</div><div style="text-align: center;">Heard them talking Papa doing some store front preachin'</div><div style="text-align: center;">Talked about saving souls and all the time reaching</div><div style="text-align: center;">Dealing in debt, and stealing in the name of the law</div><div style="text-align: center;">Momma just hung her head and said...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">[Chorus x2]</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hey Momma,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I heard Papa called himself a jack of all trades</div><div style="text-align: center;">Tell me is that what sent Papa to an early grave</div><div style="text-align: center;">Folks say Papa would beg, borrow, steal</div><div style="text-align: center;">To pay his bills</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hey Momma,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Folks say Papa never was much on thinking</div><div style="text-align: center;">Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking</div><div style="text-align: center;">Momma I'm depending on you, to tell me the truth</div><div style="text-align: center;">Momma looked up with a tear in her eye and said, son..</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>

The Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone