Coco Montoya (b. 1951 in Santa Monica, CA) is a blues guitarist and former … Read Full Bio ↴Coco Montoya (b. 1951 in Santa Monica, CA) is a blues guitarist and former member of John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.

Montoya's career began in the mid-70's when Albert Collins asked him to join his band as drummer. Collins took Montoya under his wing and taught him his "icy hot" guitar style. The two remained friends even after Montoya left Collins' band.

In the early 80's John Mayall heard Montoya playing guitar in a Los Angles bar. Soon after Mayall asked Montoya to join the newly reformed Bluesbreakers. He remained a member of the band for 10 years.

In the early 90's Montoya decided it was time to go out on his own. He has recorded several highly acclaimed blues CD's.thankfully, he did it in Santa Cruz

Tumbleweed
Coco Montoya Lyrics

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i go from city to city, coast to coast
highways and byways lord i'm healin' to post (?)
i got to roll just like a tumbleweed
i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a
tumbleweed

i got everything i own in a brown paper sack
keep it stashed by the railroad track

i got to roll just like a tumbleweed
i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a
tumbleweed

baby i'm a drifter, i'm a vagabond
i'm-a here one minute, then i'm gone
i don't need no family, can't afford no wife
i wasn't made for domestic life

well you talk to your mama, your mama tell you true
she knows best what's good for you
i got to roll just like a tumbleweed baby
i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a
tumbleweed

baby i'm a drifter, i'm a vagabond
i'm-a here one minute, then i'm gone
i don't need no family, can't afford no wife
i wasn't made for domestic life

won't you stop all your cryin', pack your things
save it for the man with the diamond rings
i've gotta roll – oh baby – like a tumbleweed
i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a
tumbleweed
i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a
tumbleweed
i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a
tumbleweed

talk to your mama, your mama tell you true
she knows best what's good for you

Overall Meaning

The song "Tumbleweed" by Coco Montoya is a blues rock ballad about a man who accepts his nomadic lifestyle, traveling from city to city, "healing to post". He compares himself to a tumbleweed, a plant that grows in dry climates and is able to detach its roots and roll with the wind, much like the singer in the song who is always on the move. He reveals that he only has a brown paper sack containing all his belongings. He has no family or wife, and he's not interested in domestic life. He sings about not needing any material possessions to be happy, instead, he is determined to continue his journey, wherever the wind takes him.

Throughout the song, the singer advises the listener not to listen to their mother's advice and to follow their dreams. He suggests that a life of stability and predictability is not for everyone and that some are made to be wanderers.

Montoya's powerful, soulful voice adds to the emotional depth of the lyrics, and the blues-rock instrumentation gives the song a melancholic but captivating feel.

Line by Line Meaning

i go from city to city, coast to coast
I travel extensively from one city to another, from one coast to another.

highways and byways lord i'm healin' to post (?)
I'm constantly moving on the highways and byways, never staying in one place for long.

i got to roll just like a tumbleweed
My life is like that of a tumbleweed, I have to keep rolling, never settling in one place.

i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a tumbleweed
I have to go wherever the wind takes me, like a tumbleweed that gets blown around without any control.

i got everything i own in a brown paper sack keep it stashed by the railroad track
I have very few possessions, everything I own can fit in a brown paper sack, which I keep hidden by the railroad tracks.

baby i'm a drifter, i'm a vagabond i'm-a here one minute, then i'm gone i don't need no family, can't afford no wife i wasn't made for domestic life
I have no permanent home or family, and I prefer life on the move. I can't afford to get married or have a family, and I'm not cut out for domestic life.

well you talk to your mama, your mama tell you true she knows best what's good for you i got to roll just like a tumbleweed baby i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a tumbleweed
You can listen to your mother's advice, but I have to keep moving like a tumbleweed, wherever the winds take me.

won't you stop all your cryin', pack your things save it for the man with the diamond rings i've gotta roll – oh baby – like a tumbleweed i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a tumbleweed i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a tumbleweed i gotta roll where the four winds blow, just like a tumbleweed
Don't waste your tears on me, pack your own things and find someone who can provide you with more stability. I have to keep moving like a tumbleweed, going where the winds take me.

Contributed by Kaitlyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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