Family Affair – English Lyrics

• By: Mary J. Blige

Lyrics & Translation

"Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige is a powerful and infectious track that invites listeners to let loose and experience a collective sense of joy and unity. Through its memorable lyrics, the song popularized unique vocabulary such as "dancery," "hateration," and "holleration," offering a distinctive and engaging way to explore English vocabulary rooted in positive self-expression and the rejection of negativity. It stands as a testament to leaving troubles behind and finding freedom in music and dance.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dance /dæns/ A2	verb - to move the body to music
get /ɡɛt/ A2	verb - to obtain or receive something verb - to arrive or reach a place
fun /fʌn/ A2	noun - enjoyable activity or entertainment
beat /biːt/ B1	verb - to strike repeatedly to produce rhythm
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to perceive through touch or emotion
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A2	noun - a social gathering for celebration
leave /liːv/ B1	verb - to go away from a place
love /lʌv/ A2	noun - deep affection or attachment verb - to feel deep affection for someone
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A2	noun - a social gathering for celebration
bass /bæs/ B2	noun - the lowest adult male singing voice or a type of sound
light /laɪt/ B2	adjective - giving off illumination
high /haɪ/ A2	adjective - situated at a great altitude
night /naɪt/ A2	noun - the period of darkness in each twenty-four hours

Key Grammar Structures

• LET'S GET IT CRUNK UPON HAVE FUN

  ➔ Imperative mood, slang usage of "upon"

  ➔ "Let's get it crunk" is an imperative sentence, a call to action to get excited and energetic. "Upon" is used informally, similar to "and" or "then", to connect the two actions: getting crunk and having fun.

• WE GOT YA OPEN NOW YA FLOATIN'

  ➔ Informal contractions ("ya"), present continuous implied

  ➔ "Ya" is a shortened form of "you". The sentence implies a present continuous action: "We have got you open, now you are floating" - describing an ongoing state of being open and floating due to the music and atmosphere.

• DON'T NEED NO HATERATION HOLLERATION

  ➔ Double negative (non-standard), slang

  ➔ The double negative "don't need no" is grammatically incorrect in standard English but common in some dialects and informal speech. It emphasizes the lack of tolerance for negativity.

• AS I'MMA MAKE IT FEEL ALRIGHT

  ➔ Future tense with "gonna" contraction and slang "I'mma"

  ➔ "I'mma" is a very informal contraction of "I'm going to". "Make it feel alright" uses a causative structure - making something (the atmosphere, the situation) feel good.

• IT'S ONLY GONNA BE ABOUT A MATTER OF TIME

  ➔ Future tense with "gonna", idiom "matter of time"

  ➔ "Gonna" is a contraction of "going to" used to express the future. "A matter of time" is an idiom meaning that something is certain to happen, sooner or later.

• BEFORE YOU GET LOOSE AND START LOOSE YOUR MIND

  ➔ Conditional clause with "before", verb "loose" used incorrectly (should be "lose")

  ➔ This line demonstrates a common error: confusing "loose" (not tight) with "lose" (to misplace, to no longer have). The correct verb should be "lose", meaning to lose your mind.

• IF YOU GOT BEEF YOUR PROBLEM NOT MINE

  ➔ Zero conditional (implied "is"), informal language (omission of "is")

  ➔ This line expresses a general truth in an informal way. The full sentence would be: "If you have beef, your problem is not mine." The "is" is omitted for brevity and effect.