The Jackson 5

Songwriter: Barrett Strong Norman Whitfield

Producer: The Jackson 5

[Verse 1: Jermaine Jackson]
It was the third of September
That day I'll always remember, yes, I will
Because that was the day when my daddy died
I never got a chance to see him
Never heard nothin' but bad things about him
Mama, I'm depending on you to tell me the tuth
And mama just hung her head and said, son

[Chorus: The Jackson 5]
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
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone

[Verse 2: The Jackson 5 & Michael Jackson]
Hey, mama, is it true what they say
That papa never worked a day in his life?
Bad talk's goin' around goin' around town
Sayin' papa had two young kids and another wife, woo
Oh, folks sayin' papa did some storefront preaching
Living in that old soul and all the time drinking
He was dealing in debt and stealing in the name of the Lord
Mama turned her head and said, son

[Chorus: The Jackson 5]
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
Wherever he laid his hat was his home
And when he died, all he left us was alone

[Outro: The Jackson 5]
Thank you, thank you, arigato

The Jackson 5 were originally formed in 1963 under the name, The Jackson Brothers. The founding members were Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon. Michael would join the group as the lead singer a year later, a move which pushed Jermaine to sing the backing vocals and play the lead guitar.

After participating in a series of talent shows, they entered the professional music scene in 1967, signing with Steeltown Records and releasing ten singles. In 1969, they left Steeltown Records in order to sign with Motown.

In 1975, most of the Jacksons had opted out of recording any more music for Motown, expressing desires to have creative control over their songs, as well as royalties. Learning that they were earning only 2.8% of royalties from Motown, Joe Jackson, the father and manager of the group, began to negotiate a lucrative contract with Epic records, which offered a royalty rate of 20% per record. The deal was completed in June 1975. As Motown owned the name The Jackson 5, the group simply renamed themselves The Jacksons.

more tracks from the album

In Japan!

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In Japan! (1973)

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Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone (Live in Japan, 1973)The Jackson 5

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In Japan!