Eric Burdon Tobacco Road Lyrics

I was born in a filthy dump
my mother died and my daddy got drunk
and they left me here to die
or grow in the middle of TOBACCO ROAD

I grew up in a prefabricated shack
when I went to high school
they pulled the clothes off my back

the Lord above knows
how much I loathe this mean old place
called TOBACCO ROAD
yes TOBACCO ROAD
let me tell you now TOBACCO ROAD
talkin' 'bout a road
yeh TOBACCO ROAD Lord!!
talkin' 'bout your road talkin' 'bout my road
talkin' 'bout TOBACCO ROAD
talkin' 'bout a road but it's home
mm yes it is the only life I've ever known
I've ever known and the Lord knows
how much I loathe TOBACCO ROAD

(road road road) talkin' 'bout your road
(road road road) talkin' 'bout my road
(road road road) you know baby it's my home yeh
(road road road) sister it's dirty and a-filthy
(road road road) it's crawlin' with rats and stinkin' of mice
(road road road) but it's home yes it is and I'm goin'
(road road road)
(road road road)

I'm gonna leave and get me a job
and with the help and the grace from above
I'll get myself some money yes I will
I'll get rich I know
and then I'll bring it on back to TOBACCO ROAD

Yes I will I'll bring dynamite and I'll bring me a crane
and I'll blow it all up and start all over again
and I'll build up people I'll make it top yes I will
I'll be crackin' coal
yes I will I'll be crackin' coal yes I will
and I'll keep the name
yes i will and I'll never forget no I won't
Ow-
Road road talkin' 'bout
a road yeh talkin' 'bout your road
talkin' 'bout my road talkin' 'bout TOBACCO ROAD
you know I'm talkin' about it
tellin' you about it Talkin' about it
It's gotta be changed It's gotta be changed
I've got to change it 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 it's 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 got 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 in 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 could be better"
the voice said to me

"What makes you think that you are man enough to change anything?"
I thought for a while
and then I spoke out loud and I said to it
I said
"Because I am a man, and I'm a part of the things that are wrong!!! And if this world is goin' to go on I gonna 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 answer, 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 you and it's 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
but 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
how much it's nice there, how good it made me feel
In 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 can I change it?
The voice said back "oh yes there is
I want something more than your eyesight!"
I thought for a while
I thought what more could she want than my eyes?
Then the terrible feeling crept over me
as I began to realized that I understood
what she was talkin' about
I screamed out loud I said I'm not gonna 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 allright 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 is yours to give
then I heard my mother say the same thing
She said "Go ahead and give it away
I gave it to you and now it's time to give it 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 over my belly
cross my chest the black shadow of death
no place to run no place to hide
so I just laid there and I died died died!!
it's dark there it's still there
but it's gotta be changed yes it has
gotta be changed yes it has, I opened my eyes
once more I breath again
I walked again I was ten times
stronger they gave it back to me
I'm gonna give it back to you
life is too precious
life is precious
life goes on and on 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
yeh hand in hand ah come on people OW________
Road road talkin' 'bout a road
yeh talkin' 'bout TOBACCO ROAD
Taklin' about TOBACCO ROAD
dirty and a-filthy dirty and a-filthy dirty and a-filthy
TOBACCO ROAD yeh TOBACCO ROAD
people our road yeh TOBACCO ROAD
yeh TOBACCO ROAD oh Lord
TOBACCO ROAD road talkin'
'bout a road talkin' 'bout a road talkin' 'bout a road
talkin' 'bout my---------- road
talkin' 'bout a road talkin' 'bout a road
talkin' 'bout it talkin' 'bout it
talkin' 'bout a road.talkin' 'bout a road
TOBACCO ROAD.TOBACCO ROAD
TOBACCO ROAD----------
TOBACCO ROAD----------
can't stop can't stop can't stop me
never stop me talkin' 'bout a road
I'm comming home Lord comming home now,
goin' home goin' home goin' home