Way Back Home
Junior Walker and The All Stars Lyrics
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About the South, boy
Oh, and some leave a bitter taste
In my mouth, now
Yeah!
Like the black man livin' across the track
White man were on the other side
Way back home, now
Oh, but we won't talk about that
Cause it's understood
Ev'rybody sees the bad
But what about the good?
Ooh, I'd give anything
Just to smell that scent
Of honeysuckle growin'
On a backyard fence
Way back home, now
'Oow!'
'Oh heaven scent, ya'all!'
With female chorus
(Way back home)
Yeah, way back home
(Way back home)
Thinkin' on back home
I'd love to smell the wetness
Of grass and trees
And see ground kissed
By honey bees
Like way back home, now
Oh, but childhood days
Are dead 'n gone
Well, but the memories
Still linger on
Oh, have you ever gone swimmin'
In a muddy creek
With nothin' on your body
From head to feet?
Way back home, yeah
How you play for the game
Like hide an seek
Yeah!
And snk through the weeds
Overhear the streams
Well, I know some kids
Still play those games
But when they play
It just ain't the same
Like way back home
'Sad to sing it, ya'all!'
Yeah!
Way back home, way back home
(Way back home)
Way back
Oh, I really miss those things
That have faded away
I remember them
Like it was yesterday
Now, way back home
(Way back ho-ome)
(Way back ho-ome)
Doo-doo, do-do
Doo-doo, do-ooo-do
(Way back ho-ome)
(Way back ho-ome)
The lyrics of Junior Walker and The All Stars's song "Way Back Home" are a reflection on the memories of childhood and growing up in the South. The singer reminisces about the good and bad things of the South, but focuses on the positive aspects of his childhood experiences. The chorus of the song repeats "Way back home," emphasizing the singer's desire to rekindle the memories of his past.
The lyrics touch on the racial tensions that existed in the South during the time the song was written. The singer mentions a black man living across the track from a white man who holds him back. This line represents the segregation and discrimination that African Americans faced during that time.
The singer also mentions the sweet scent of honeysuckle growing on a backyard fence, the wetness of grass and trees, and the sound of buzzing bees. These sensory details create a vivid picture of the singer's childhood memories.
"Way Back Home" is a song that celebrates childhood and the memories associated with it. The singer longs for the simple pleasures of his youth and his Southern roots.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, there's good 'n bad things About the South, boy Oh, and some leave a bitter taste In my mouth, now
There are both positive and negative things about the Southern region of the United States, but some of the negative aspects have left a sour feeling in my mind.
Like the black man livin' across the track White man were on the other side Holdin' him back Way back home, now
There was racial segregation in my hometown, where Black people lived on one side of the tracks while white people lived on the other and the whites oppressed the Blacks.
Oh, but we won't talk about that Cause it's understood Ev'rybody sees the bad But what about the good?
Although this unfair racial segregation happened, it is not common to discuss it or complain about it because people often don't think about the positive things.
Ooh, I'd give anything Just to smell that scent Of honeysuckle growin' On a backyard fence Way back home, now 'Oow!' 'Oh heaven scent, ya'all!' With female chorus
I yearn to relive memories of the sweet scent of honeysuckle growing on fences in my hometown since it brings back an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia that brings a bit of heaven with it.
(Way back home) Yeah, way back home (Way back home) Thinkin' on back home
I am lost in my thoughts while reminiscing about my hometown (and how it used to be).
I'd love to smell the wetness Of grass and trees And see ground kissed By honey bees Like way back home, now
I would enjoy smelling the wet grass and trees, and watching honey bees kiss the ground like in the old times in my hometown as it brings back happy memories.
Oh, but childhood days Are dead 'n gone Well, but the memories Still linger on
The old days of childhood are gone and will never return but the wonderful things about my hometown are still worth remembering vividly.
Oh, have you ever gone swimmin' In a muddy creek With nothin' on your body From head to feet? Way back home, yeah
Back in those days, it was common to go swimming in muddy creeks with no clothes on from head to toe (skinny dipping), which is something worth remembering about my hometown.
How you play for the game Like hide an seek Yeah! And snk through the weeds Overhear the streams
Our games back in the day included playing hide and seek, crawling through weeds, and listening to the sound of streams nearby.
Well, I know some kids Still play those games But when they play It just ain't the same Like way back home 'Sad to sing it, ya'all!' Yeah!
Even though children today still play these childhood games, it's not the same as it was in the past, which makes me melancholic.
(Way back home) Way back home (Way back home) Oh, I really miss those things That have faded away I remember them Like it was yesterday Now, way back home (Way back ho-ome) (Way back ho-ome) Doo-doo, do-do Doo-doo, do-ooo-do (Way back ho-ome) (Way back ho-ome)
I miss the things that have faded away from my hometown and these memories are still fresh in my mind despite the fact that they happened a long time ago.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: WILTON FELDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cristyrenato1591
Jr Walker & all stars should be on the Hall of Fame
@larrywashington4971
You mean they aren't already wow
@paulinechapman9319
Am shocked as well re junior..but the line is long for the deserving who are not in the hall...🇨🇦🇨🇦
@thomasposerina5824
Junior, I am 71 and I have taken you with me everywhere since I was a young teen. Listening to you on a transistor radio at the beach, laying on my bed, playing your sax on my 8 track at the senior prom 55 years ago, and still today on my Apple playlist in my truck. I have every single note memorized. I hope to see you again someday when you and I can walk barefoot down that dirt road together, with our fishing rods, on the same side of the railroad tracks, heading home for dinner, laughing and taking in the sunset.
@susanjackson9738
My daughter listened to this jam and called him The hollering man and angry man!!! She just doesn't understand the music!! She loves all of my other oldies but this one!! I'm still listening and always will!!
@petermcgregor3274
There is something special about this song I cannot put my finger on it
@yvonned9623
It's just a nice song that put you in some kind of mood and the lyrics are deep and true. There's good and bad things about the South and some leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Like a black man living across the tracks and a white man on the other side holding him back. There was lots of prejudice in those days but that was his home. There's another version of this song by the Crusaders it puts you in some type of mood also a nice song but no lyrics just instrumental. Way back home. https://youtu.be/ddNSbUdd8xI
@iamjoeg2516
Wherever you are just makes you think about back home
@summersbr1
Makes me think of those days when things weren't so great for black people in America but our parents found a way to make our childhood days safe and memorable. We never thought about being poor or hungry. They loved and protected us from the ugliness. This song touches much of how I lived in those great days in the projects of S. Dallas
@s.marcus3669
In America, life started going downhill for the blacks when LBJ and the Democrats replaced the father in the black family with the Federal Government by signing the Civil Rights Bill in 1964. If you don't believe me, just google what Larry Elder, Dennis Prager and many others have said about this landmark destructive law.