"Tobacco Road"

I grew up near "tobacco road" in Simsbury, Connecticut near these shade tobacco barns used to cure tobacco for cigar wrappers. You may be familiar with the song "Tobacco Road" as sung by "The Animals" and lead singer Eric Burden of England during the 1960's. I guess that song must have described a different "tobacco road" than the shade tobacco fields and tobacco sheds of the Farmington River Valley; as the song lyrics don't seem to match my experiences. In the song I guess poor Eric had quite the tough life as he describes being born in a shack, a drunk father, dead mother, owning nothing but the clothes on his back  and tobacco road being a mean ol' place.  Although Eric describes a rough place which he hates but also loves because its home; in contrast to the "Occupy Wall street " band of gypsies, Eric says he will get a job and rebuild his life and change his tough background for the better.  Yes, on his own "with the help and the grace from above" Eric vows to better himself.  Perhaps you too can learn from this song and try to improve your life and community as even on tobacco road work and effort can be rewarded and when you sit around waiting for a "handout" often times a lazy attitude leads to shattered unrealistic dreams that go up in smoke.