Los Lobos is a Mexican-American rock band from East Los Angeles, California… Read Full Bio ↴Los Lobos is a Mexican-American rock band from East Los Angeles, California, USA, heavily influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country music, folk, blues, and traditional Spanish / Mexican music such as boleros and norteño.

Vocalist/guitarist David Hidalgo and drummer Louie Pérez met at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, and bonded over their mutual affinity for obscure musical acts such as Fairport Convention, Randy Newman and Ry Cooder. Pérez recalls, "We’re looking at each other, 'You like this stuff? I thought I was the only weird one.' So I went over to his house one day for about a year, which we spent listening to records, playing guitars, and starting to write songs." The two borrowed reel-to-reel recorders from a friend and created multi-track recordings of music spanning from parody songs to free-form jazz. They later enlisted fellow students Cesar Rosas and Conrad Lozano to complete the group's line-up in 1973.

Formed in the late 1970's, band members Dave Hidalgo, Cesar Rojas, Steve Berlin, Louie Pérez and Conrad Lozano became the bellwether for Mexican-American music in the U.S. when they recorded the music for "La Bamba" in 1987, which added popular acclaim to the critical praise they had received for their 1984 album "How Will the Wolf Survive?".

They have since become one of the mainstays of the Latin music scene as well as rock music in general, staying together through over 20 albums, and for almost three decades, through changing music climate and personal tragedies, they've continued cranking out albums and touring to dedicated fans.

Rolling
Los Lobos Lyrics

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It was the third of September; that day I'll always remember,
'Cause that was the day that 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 truth.

Mama just looked at him and said, "Son,
Papa was a rollin' stone.
Wherever he laid his head was his home.

And when he died, all he left us was alone."

Papa was a rollin' stone.
Wherever he laid his head was his home.
And when he died, all he left us was alone."

Hey, Mama, is it true what the say, that Papa never worked a day in his life?
And Mama, they talk all around town say that
Papa had three outside children and another wife
And that ain't right.
Heard them talkin' about Papa doing some storefront preachin'
Talkin' about saving your souls and all the time weak, dealin' in death
And stealin' in the name of the Lord
Mama just hung her head and said,

Papa was a rollin' stone.
Wherever he laid his head was his home.
And when he died, all he left us was alone."

Papa was a rollin' stone.
Wherever he laid his head was his home.
And when he died, all he left us was alone."

Hey, Mama, I heard Papa call himself a jack of all trades.
Tell me, is that what sent Papa to an early grave?
Folks say Papa would beg; borrow or steal to pay his bills.
Hey, Mama, folks say Papa was never much on thinkin';
Spend most of his time chasin' women and drinkin'!
Mama, I'm depending on you to tell me the truth.

Mama just hung her head and said, "Son,
Papa was a rollin' stone.
Wherever he laid his head was his home.
And when he died, all he left us was alone."

Papa was a rollin' stone.
Wherever he laid his head was his home.
And when he died, all he left us was alone."

Papa was a rollin' stone.
Wherever he laid his head was his home.
And when he died, all he left us was alone."

Papa was a rollin' stone.

Wherever he laid his head was his home.
And when he died, all he left us was alone."

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Los Lobos's "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" tell the story of a man trying to understand the truth about his father after his death. The song begins with the poignant line, "It was the third of September; that day I'll always remember," indicating the depth of emotion surrounding his father's passing. The singer never had a chance to know his father in life, and only heard negative things about him. He turns to his mother, asking "Mama, I'm depending on you to tell me the truth," in a desperate attempt to understand who his father really was.

The mother proceeds to paint a complicated picture of the father, revealing that he was a "rolling stone," constantly moving and never settling down. He had other children and another wife, and may have engaged in dishonest or even criminal activities, preaching in a storefront and "dealing in death." Despite all of this, the mother remains stoic and resigned, sorrowfully repeating the refrain that whenever the father laid his head, that was his home, and that when he died, he left them alone.

Overall, the song is a lament for a father who was largely absent from his son's life, and who left behind a complicated and ambiguous legacy. It captures the pain of searching for truth and understanding in the aftermath of a loved one's death, and the frustration of trying to come to terms with someone who will always remain a mystery.

Line by Line Meaning

It was the third of September; that day I'll always remember, 'Cause that was the day that my daddy died.
The singer remembers the third of September as the day his father 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 truth.
The singer never met his father and only heard negative things about him. He asks his mother for the truth.

Mama just looked at him and said, 'Son, Papa was a rollin' stone. Wherever he laid his head was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.'
The mother tells her son that his father was a wanderer who had no fixed home, and when he passed away, he left them with nothing but loneliness.

Hey, Mama, is it true what they say, that Papa never worked a day in his life? And Mama, they talk all around town say that Papa had three outside children and another wife And that ain't right.
The artist asks his mother if the rumors are true that his father never had a job and had other children and wives. He believes that such conduct is wrong.

Heard them talkin' about Papa doing some storefront preachin' Talkin' about saving your souls and all the time weak, dealin' in death And stealin' in the name of the Lord Mama just hung her head and said, 'Papa was a rollin' stone. Wherever he laid his head was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.'
The artist overheard people talking about his father preaching in front of a store but being involved in shady activities like selling death and stealing under the guise of religion. The mother responds again with the fact his father was constantly on the move and left them alone when he passed away.

Hey, Mama, I heard Papa call himself a jack of all trades. Tell me, is that what sent Papa to an early grave? Folks say Papa would beg; borrow or steal to pay his bills. Hey, Mama, folks say Papa was never much on thinkin'; Spend most of his time chasin' women and drinkin'! Mama, I'm depending on you to tell me the truth.
The singer mentions hearing stories that his father called himself a jack of all trades, but he wonders if his lifestyle caused his early death. He also mentions that people talked about his father begging or stealing to pay bills, spending a lot of time with women and drinking. The singer asks his mother again for the truth.

Mama just hung her head and said, 'Son, Papa was a rollin' stone. Wherever he laid his head was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.'
The mother repeats her earlier statement about his father being a wanderer who had no permanent home and how his passing left them alone.

Papa was a rollin' stone. Wherever he laid his head was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.
The chorus repeats the central theme of the song, which is that the father was always on the move, where he laid his head became his home and when he passed away he left his family alone with nothing.

Papa was a rollin' stone. Wherever he laid his head was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.
Second repetition of the chorus which implies that the father never changed his lifestyle despite having a family, leaving them without much when he passed.

Papa was a rollin' stone. Wherever he laid his head was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.
Another repetition of the chorus emphasizing how the father's lifestyle negatively impacted his family and eventually he left them with nothing.

Papa was a rollin' stone. Wherever he laid his head was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.
Final repetition of the chorus, which is a bitter indictment of the father and his lack of responsibility towards his family.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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