Roth's follow-up work, called 'Skyscraper', came out on January 26, 1988, dividing his fans due to its synthesizer-heavy, pop-fueled style yet having an iconic hit in the upbeat tune "Just Like Paradise". After his solo group's line-up shifted, guitar prodigy Jason Becker (formerly of Cacophony) came into the fold in 1989. Sadly, Becker contracted Lou Gehrig's Disease, and before too long he could no longer play, having only performed on one album (1991's 'A Little Ain't Enough').
Since then, Roth has employed a revolving line-up of musicians in his band. As the 90s went on, the shuffling of performers around him and changing musical tides, styles such as alternative rock becoming far more popular, found Roth's mainstream commercial fortunes diminishing. Still, he kept on touring to his own wild fan-base, and rumors of a reunion between him and his old Van Halen buddies bubbled up again and again.
In 2007, David Lee Roth rejoined Van Halen for a semi-reunion with the Van Halen brothers, along with Eddie Van Halen's son (Wolfgang Van Halen) on bass (replacing Michael Anthony from the original lineup), which lasted into 2008. On December 26, 2011, Van Halen (again with Roth) announced a tour for 2012. In what felt like no time, the rejuvenated outfit released their first album in fourteen years, titled 'A Different Kind of Truth', on February 7, 2012.
Tobacco Road
David Lee Roth Lyrics
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Mama died and my daddy got drunk.
Left me here to die alone
In the middle of Tobacco Road.
Growin' up rusty shack,
All I had was hangin' on my back.
Only you know how I loathe
But it's home, the only life I ever known.
Only you know how I loathe Tobacco Road.
Gonna leave, get a job
With the help and the grace from above.
Save some money, get rich and old,
Bring it back to Tobacco Road.
But it's home, the only life I ever known.
Only you know how I loathe Tobacco Road.
Bring that dynamite and a crane,
Blow it up, start all over again.
Build a town, be proud to show.
Gives the name Tobacco Road.
The lyrics of David Lee Roth's song Tobacco Road depict a hard and unforgiving life in the eponymous place. The singer was born into poverty and suffering - his mother died, and his father turned to alcohol, abandoning him in a rundown building in the middle of the road. The only thing he had was the survival instinct that kept him going against all odds. The song expresses the singer's desire to escape this ignorant place and this cruel life, to find a job, earn some money, and return rich and successful. But even in his dreams of leaving, the singer admits that Tobacco Road is the only life he has ever known, and despite his loathing of the place, it remains his home.
Moreover, in the song's final verse, the singer reveals his ultimate ambition: to blow up the entire place and start anew, building a town that would be proud to show off and would bear the name Tobacco Road. This explosive climax appears to be the only way out for the oppressed and impoverished people living there, allowing them to create a better future for themselves. Roth's Tobacco Road is more than just a geographical location; it's a metaphor for the cycle of poverty and suffering that many people in the world face daily.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born in a trunk.
I was born into a life of struggle and hardship.
Mama died and my daddy got drunk.
My mom passed away and my dad turned to alcohol to cope.
Left me here to die alone
in the middle of Tobacco Road.
I was abandoned in a poor, run-down neighborhood called Tobacco Road.
Growin' up rusty shack,
all I had was hangin' on my back.
I grew up in a dilapidated home with few possessions.
Only you know how I loathe
this place called Tobacco Road.
Only those who have experienced the hardships of living in Tobacco Road understand my dislike of it.
But it's home, the only life I ever known.
Only you know how I loathe Tobacco Road.
Despite my negative feelings towards it, Tobacco Road is all I've ever known as home.
Gonna leave, get a job
with the help and the grace from above.
Save some money, get rich and old,
bring it back to Tobacco Road.
I plan to leave Tobacco Road, work hard, save up, and return with enough money to live better.
Bring that dynamite and a crane,
blow it up, start all over again.
Build a town, be proud to show.
Gives the name Tobacco Road.
Instead of simply escaping Tobacco Road, I want to destroy it and rebuild a new, vibrant town in its place with the same name as the old one.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John D. Loudermilk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind