There is more than one group with this name:

1) Love Affair was a Lo… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one group with this name:

1) Love Affair was a London, England based band co-mingling pop, rnb, and soul that formed in 1966. They had several U.K. Singles Chart top 10 hits, including the number one single "Everlasting Love", and seemed poised to become the next big thing in the pop world but sadly folded after not too long.

2) Love Affair were a Cleveland, Ohio based rock act who released their debut album in 1980. The self-titled album featured the regional hit single "Mama Sez."

Tobacco Road
Love Affair Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was born in a dump
my mother died
my daddy got drunk
they Left me here
to die or grow
in the middle of
Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road

i Grew up in a rusty shack
all I ever owned babe
was hangin' on my back
Lord above know
how much I loathe
this mean ol' place called
Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road

But it's home yes
the only life I've ever known
and the lord knows
how much I loathe
Tobacco Road (Road, Road, Road)

Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
I'm talkin' 'bout road (Road, Road, Road)
I'm talkin' 'bout that road (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Everybody's got one (Road, Road, Road)
Everybody's got some (Road, Road, Road)
Everybody's got feel one (Road, Road, Road)
Everybody remember (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)

But it's home mmm
the only life this boy has ever known
and the lord knows
how much I loathe
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)

I'm gonna leave (Road, Road, Road)
and get myself a job (Road, Road, Road)
with the help (Road, Road, Road)
and the grace from above (Road, Road, Road)
I'll get me some dynamite (Road, Road, Road)
and I'll get me a crane (Road, Road, Road)
And I'll blow it all up, tear it down (Road, Road, Road)
Start all over again (Road, Road, Road)
And I'll build me a town (Road, Road, Road)
I'll be proud to show (Road, Road, Road)
And I'll keep the name (Road, Road, Road)
And I'll keep the name (Road, Road, Road)
And I'll keep the name Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road, yeah, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road

you're dirty and you're filthy
but I love you
cause you're my home, baby
You are my home
the only life I've ever known
You are my home
You are my home
Yes, you're my home
Ya hear me, you're my home
you're my home

yes it's home, yes
the only life I've ever known
and the lord knows
how much I loathe
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)
Tobacco Road, yeah (Road, Road, Road)

do it again, ya feel a thing (Road, Road, Road)
do it again, ya feel a thing (Road, Road, Road)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Love Affair's song "Tobacco Road" tell the story of a person who grew up in a poor and tough environment known as Tobacco Road. The first stanza talks about the person's birthplace, which was a dump, and how their mother died, and their father got drunk, leaving them to die or grow up in the middle of Tobacco Road. The second stanza talks about how the person grew up in a rusty shack with all their possessions hanging on their back. The person expresses how much they loathe this place, but it's the only home they've ever known, and they have to accept it.

The person talks about leaving Tobacco Road to get a job, blow everything up and start again with the help of God. They plan to build a town and keep the name Tobacco Road because it's their home. The song ends with the person acknowledging how dirty and filthy Tobacco Road is, but it's still their home. They claim that they love their home, for it is the only life they've ever known, even though they hate it.

"Tobacco Road" was written by American songwriter John D. Loudermilk in 1960. The song has been covered by many artists, including Jefferson Airplane, David Lee Roth, and Eric Burdon, among others. The song was a hit for the British pop-soul band The Love Affair in 1968, reaching the top five in the UK and Australia.

Line by Line Meaning

I was born in a dump
I was born in a place of squalor and poverty

my mother died
My mother died and I never knew her

my daddy got drunk
My father was an alcoholic and struggled with addiction

they Left me here
They abandoned me

to die or grow
I was left to die or fend for myself

in the middle of
In the heart of

Tobacco Road
An impoverished area with a reputation for tobacco farming and addiction

i Grew up in a rusty shack
I grew up in poor and inadequate housing

all I ever owned babe
All my belongings were few and carried on my back

was hangin' on my back
I had very little of my own and what I did have, I carried with me

Lord above know
Only God knows

how much I loathe
I intensely dislike and hate

this mean ol' place called
This despicable and miserable place known as

Tobacco Road
An impoverished area with a reputation for tobacco farming and addiction

But it's home yes
Despite its flaws, it's where I come from and I'm familiar with it

the only life I've ever known
It's the only existence I'm used to

and the lord knows
God understands

how much I loathe
I intensely dislike and hate

Tobacco Road
An impoverished area with a reputation for tobacco farming and addiction

(Road, Road, Road)
Repetition of the chorus

I'm talkin' 'bout road
I'm talking about the rough and difficult life I have lived

I'm talkin' 'bout that road
I'm discussing the place that made me who I am

Everybody's got one
Everyone has their own difficult situation

Everybody's got some
Everyone has their own challenges and struggles

Everybody's got feel one
Everyone can relate to my story in their own way

Everybody remember
Everyone has their own memories of the hardships they've faced

Tobacco Road
An impoverished area with a reputation for tobacco farming and addiction

Road, yeah
Repetition of the chorus

But it's home mmm
Despite its flaws, it's where I come from and I'm familiar with it

the only life this boy has ever known
It's the only existence I'm used to

and the lord knows
God understands

how much I loathe
I intensely dislike and hate

Tobacco Road, yeah
An impoverished area with a reputation for tobacco farming and addiction

I'm gonna leave
I will leave this place

and get myself a job
I will find work so I can support myself

with the help
With divine support and guidance

and the grace from above
With mercy and kindness from God

I'll get me some dynamite
I will acquire explosives

and I'll get me a crane
I will buy or rent a crane

And I'll blow it all up, tear it down
I will demolish the old and start anew

Start all over again
I will begin anew

And I'll build me a town
I will create a new and better community

I'll be proud to show
I will be proud to display my achievement

And I'll keep the name
I will name it the same

And I'll keep the name
I will keep the name the same

And I'll keep the name Tobacco Road, yeah
I will preserve the history and memory of the place despite its hardships

Tobacco Road, yeah, yeah
An impoverished area with a reputation for tobacco farming and addiction

Tobacco Road
An impoverished area with a reputation for tobacco farming and addiction

you're dirty and you're filthy
The place is unclean and unkempt

but I love you
But I have a deep attachment to it

cause you're my home, baby
Because it's where I come from and where I belong

You are my home
It's where I belong and where I feel comfortable

Yes, you're my home
It's the place I call home

Ya hear me, you're my home
I emphasize and reiterate that it's my home

yes it's home, yes
Despite its flaws, it's where I come from and I'm familiar with it

the only life I've ever known
It's the only existence I'm used to

and the lord knows
God understands

how much I loathe
I intensely dislike and hate

Tobacco Road, yeah
An impoverished area with a reputation for tobacco farming and addiction

do it again, ya feel a thing
Repetition of the chorus

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John D. Loudermilk

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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