Tobacco Road

[Verse 1: Eric Burdon] I was born in a filthy dump, my mother died and my daddy got drunk And they left me here, yes, to die or grow In the middle of Tobacco Road I grew up in prefabricated shack When I went to high school, they pulled the clothes off my back Lord above knows how much I loathe This mean old place called Tobacco Road, yes Tobacco Road, let me tell you now, Tobacco Road Talking ’bout a road yeah, Tobacco Road, Lord!! Talking ’bout your road, talking ’bout my road Talking ’bout Tobacco Road, talking ’bout a road But it’s home, hmm, yes it is The only life I’ve ever known, I’ve ever known And the Lord knows how much I loathe [Chorus: Eric Burdon] Tobacco Road Road Road Road Road (road road road) Talking ’bout your road (road road road) Talking ’bout my road (road road road) You know, baby (road road road) I left my home, yeah (road road road) Because it’s dirty and it’s filthy (road road road) U know it’s crawling with rats, and stinking with lice (road road road) But it’s home, yes it is (road road road) I tell you what I’m gonna do (road road road) I tell you what I’m gonna do (road road road) [Verse 2] Oh I’m gonna leave and I get a job And with the help and the grace from above I’ll get meself money at the whip get rich I know And ship it all back to Tobacco Road, yes I will I will I’ll bring dynamite, and I’ll bring me a crane And I’ll blow it all up, tear it down, start all over again And I’ll build me town, people, I’ll be brought to top yes I will I’ll be crackin’ soul, Lord he knows? I’ll be [crocroocrou] yes, I will and I’ll keep the name yes yes yes Come on never forget me, people, AAAAAAHHH!!! [Chorus] Road road, talkin’ ’bout a road yeah Talkin’ ’bout ya road, talkin’ ’bout my road, talkin’ ’bout Tobacco Road You know I’m talkin’ about it, I’m tellin’ you about it, talkin’ about it It’s gotta be changed, it’s got to be changed, I’ve got to change it [Interlude/Verse 3: Eric Burdon] I have a dream, everybody has a dream I have a dream, that I can change it I have a dream, that I can make it good once more I have a dream, it’s mine and yours and mine and yours Let me tell you ’bout my dream, let me tell you ’bout my dream We gotta to get it out, we have to build it up, tear it down, build it up I had a dream one night, I had a dream one night I was taken to a place far away from Tobacco Road Far away, far away from you, far away from myself I had a dream, I had a dream up above my head I saw something it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life I spoke out loud, I said You know you are the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life I heard a voice tell me I heard a voice say to me It said “What do you want?” I said “I want to change it Because it’s wrong I want to change it Because I believe it can be better” The voice said to me “What makes you think that U are man enough to change anything?” I thought for awhile, and then I spoke out loud, and I said to it, I said... “Because I am a man and I am a part of the things that are wrong!!! And if this world must go on, I have to put it right! And I know just by lookin’ at you, baby, that you’re superior to me And you can help me give me the answers! Give me some answers!!!” She turned around to me and you know what she said She said “I can help you but there’s something I want from U is a gift In return for the information I can give I want a gift from you, I want a gift from you” I tried my very best to look up to the sky And then I realized I had no eyes, I was blind, totally blind!!! I begin to get afraid, afraid of the dark I was afraid, afraid in the darkness But then I thought about my friends who have no eyesight I thought about the world they live in and how much it’s nice there How good it made me feel I was not afraid I was not afraid anymore I spoke up louder!!! I said “Listen, you’ve got my eyesight There isn’t much more I can give! Now tell me how do I change it?” The voice said back...“Oh yes there is! We want something more than your eyesight!” I thought for a while And I thought “What more could she want than my eyes?” And then the terrible feeling crept over me As I began to realize that I understood what she was talkin’ ’bout I screamed out loud! I said “I’m not-a-give up my life! I’d love to give you my life, but I’m just a young man And I have a wife, I have a wife and a baby And if I die, I know they’ll cry, so please don’t take my life Then I heard my wife say, “It’s all right baby, I understand Go ahead and do your thing!” There was nowhere I could run I heard my father say “I understand son Go ahead and give it, it’s yours to give.” Then I heard my mother say the same thing She said “Go ahead and give it away, I gave to you And now it’s yours to give to someone else!!” I was lost, I was lost No place to run no place to hide, no place to run no place to hide I felt it, I knew it I could sense it, I could feel it creeping up from the tips of my toes Up my legs, over my knees, up over my belly 'Cross my chest, the black shadow of death No place to run, run to, no place to hide So I just laid there and I died, died, died, darkness, stillness [Verse 4] But it’s gotta be change, yes it has! It’s gotta be change, yes it has I opened my eyes once more, I breathe again, I walked again I was ten times stronger, they give it back to me I’m gonna give it back to you Life is too precious, life is priceless, life goes on and on and Lord Never stops, never stops, no no It just goes on and on and on and on and on I’ve got to change that road, I gotta build me a new road We can walk that road together Hand in hand, yes, hand in hand, ah, hand in hand, people, aww, yeah [Chorus] Road road [ha-ha-ha] talkin’ ’bout a road yeah Talkin’ ’bout Tobacco Road, talkin’ about Tobacco Road, you know it!! Dirty ’n-a-filthy, dirty ’n-a-filthy, dirty ’n-a-filthy, Tobacco Road, yeah Tobacco Road people, Tobacco Road, yeah Hmm Tobacco Road, yeah, Tobacco Road, oh Lord, Tobacco Road Talkin’ ’bout a road, talkin’ ’bout a road Talkin' 'bout a road, talkin’ ’bout a road, talkin’ ’bout a your road Talkin’ ’bout my road, everybody’s got a road, yeah Talkin’ ’bout a road, talkin’ ’bout it, talkin’ ’bout it Talkin ’bout a road, Tobacco Road, Tobacco Road, Tobacco Road Tobacco Road Road Road Road Road Road Tobacco Road Road Road Road Road Road Don’t? Pa! ’Ever stop, don’t ever stop me, ’ever stop me! Talkin’ ’bout a road road road road [Outro] I’m coming home baby, I’m coming home, people I’m goiming home now, I’m coming home, yeah I’m coming home, hmm, I’m going home, I'm coming home