Family Business – English Lyrics

• By: Kanye West
• Album: The College Dropout

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heartwarming and relatable story behind Kanye West's "Family Business." This soulful track from *The College Dropout* offers a unique glimpse into family dynamics, childhood memories, and the importance of unity. Learn how the lyrics, inspired by real-life experiences, create a touching tribute to the enduring power of family bonds.

[English]

How's your son? (All, all, all tha-thang, thang)

He made the team this year? (All, all tha-thang, thang, thang)

Aight, they said he wasn't tall enough (all, all that glitters is not gold)

Ma', we here, we gon' cook this Sunday, okay? So come by (all gold is not reality)

Damn, that's your new girlfriend? (Real is what you lays on me)

This is family business

And this is for the family that can't be with us

And this is for my cousin locked down, know the answer's in us

This why I spit it in my songs so sweet, like a photo of your granny's picture

Now that you're gone, it hit us

Super hard on Thanksgiving and Christmas, this can't be right

Yo, you heard the track I did, man? "This Can't Be Life"

Somebody please say grace, so I can save face

And have a reason to cover my face

I even made you a plate, soul food, know how Granny do it

Monkey bread on the side, know how the family do it

When I brought it, why the guard had to look all through it?

As kids, we used to laugh, who knew that life would move this fast?

Who knew I'd have to look at you through a glass?

And look, you tell me you ain't did it, then you ain't did it

And if you did, then that's family business

And I don't care about (all, all, diamond ring, diamond ring)

They don't mean a thing (all, all, all, tha-thang, thang)

All these fancy things (all, all tha-thang, thang, thang)

I tell you that all is my weight in gold (all, all that glitters is not gold, all gold is not reality)

Now, all I know, I know all these things (real is what you lays on me)

Yeah, yeah, this is family business

And this is for everybody standing with us

Come on, let's take a family Grammy picture

Abi, remember when they ain't believe in me?

Now she like, "See, that's my cousin on TV!"

Now, we gettin' it and we gon' make it

And they gon' hate it, and I'm his favorite

I can't deny it, I'm a straight rider

But when we get together, be Electric Slidin'

Grandma, get 'em shook up

Aw, naw, don't open the photobook up

I got a Aunt Ruth that can't remember your name

But I bet them Polaroids'll send her down memory lane

You know that one auntie, you don't mean to be rude

But every holiday, nobody eating her food

And you don't wanna stay there 'cause them your worst cousins

Got roaches at they crib like them your first cousins

Act like you ain't took a bath with your cousin

Fit three in the bed if it's six of y'all

I'm talkin' 'bout three by the head and three by the leg

But you ain't have to tell my girl I used to pee in the bed

Rain, rain, rain, go away

Let the sun come out, and all the children say (uh)

Rain, rain, rain, go away (yeah)

Let the sun come out and all the children say (yeah, yeah, yeah)

I woke up early this morning with a new state of mind

A creative way to rhyme without using nines and guns

Keep your nose out the sky, keep your heart to God

And keep your face to the risin' sun

All my niggas from the Chi' is my family, dawg

And my niggas ain't my guys, they my family, dawg

I feel like, one day, you'll understand me, dawg

You can still love your man and be manly, dawg

You ain't gotta get heated at every housewarmin'

Sittin' here, grillin' people like George Foreman

Why Uncle Ray and Aunt Sheila always performin'?

Second she storm out, then he storm in

Y'all gon' sit down, have a good time this reunion

And drink some wine like Communion

And act like everything fine and if it isn't

We ain't letting everybody in our family business, uh

(All, all, diamond ring, diamond ring)

They don't mean a thing (all, all, all tha-thang, thang)

They don't mean a thing (all, all tha-thang, thang, thang)

(All, all that glitters is not gold)

They don't mean a thing, a thing (all gold is not reality, real is what you lays on me)

And I don't care about (all, all, diamond ring, diamond ring)

They don't mean a thing (All, all, all tha-thang, thang)

All these fancy things (all, all tha-thang, thang, thang)

I tell you that all is my weight in gold (all, all that glitters is not gold, all gold is not reality)

And all I know, I know all these things (real is what you lays on me)

All these things (all these things, all these things)

CLK Mercedes Benz (all these things, ooh, all these things)

(All these things, these things, ooh, all these things, all these things, ooh)

(Ooh, all these things, all these things)

A whole lotta money (all these things, all these things, all these things)

Mommy and Daddy, can you please stop fighting?

(All these things, and I don't care about)

(Ooh, all these things, all these things, all these things, ooh)

Let's get Stevie out of jail

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household. adjective - relating to or characteristic of a family.
cook /kʊk/ A1	verb - prepare (food) by heating it.
locked /lɒkt/ A2	adjective - fastened or secured with a lock.
sweet /swiːt/ A1	adjective - having the pleasant taste characteristic of sugar or honey; not salty, sour, or bitter.
hard /hɑːrd/ A2	adjective - solid, firm, and rigid; difficult to do or achieve.
save /seɪv/ B1	verb - keep safe or rescue (someone or something) from harm or risk.
face /feɪs/ A1	noun - the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin.
food /fuːd/ A1	noun - any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.
guard /ɡɑːrd/ B1	noun - a person who protects something or someone. verb - protect
laugh /læf/ A2	verb - make the sounds and movements of the face and body that express lively amusement or joy.
mean /miːn/ A2	verb - intend to convey, indicate, or refer to (a particular thing or notion).
fancy /ˈfænsi/ B1	adjective - elaborate in structure or decoration; of high quality.
hate /heɪt/ B1	verb - feel intense dislike for.
remember /rɪˈmembər/ A2	verb - have in or be able to bring to one's mind an awareness of (someone or something that one has known or experienced in the past).
rude /ruːd/ B1	adjective - offensively impolite or ill-mannered.
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - have a strong feeling of affection for (someone).

Key Grammar Structures

• This is for the family that can't be with us.

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'that'

  ➔ The relative clause "that can't be with us" modifies the noun "family". 'That' is used as a relative pronoun to introduce the clause which provides more information about the family.

• This why I spit it in my songs so sweet, like a photo of your granny's picture.

  ➔ Use of 'Why' as a reason/cause conjunction and simile.

  ➔ "This why" is a colloquial shortening of "This is why", indicating reason. The phrase "like a photo..." is a simile, comparing the sweetness of the song to a sweet family photo.

• Abi, remember when they ain't believe in me?

  ➔ Informal Contraction ('ain't') and Indirect Question

  ➔ "Ain't" is a non-standard contraction for "didn't" or "haven't." "When they ain't believe in me" is an indirect question functioning as the object of "remember."

• You know that one auntie, you don't mean to be rude, but every holiday, nobody eating her food.

  ➔ Ellipsis (omission of 'is') and Use of 'But' as a contrastive conjunction.

  ➔ There's an ellipsis in the phrase "You know that one auntie", where "there *is*" is omitted for brevity. "But" is used to contrast the speaker's awareness of potentially being rude with the reality of nobody eating the aunt's food.

• Act like you ain't took a bath with your cousin.

  ➔ Double Negative and Informal Language

  ➔ The use of "ain't took" combines a non-standard negative contraction ("ain't") with the past participle "took." This creates a double negative, which is grammatically incorrect in standard English but common in some dialects. It means "Act like you haven't taken a bath with your cousin."

• Keep your nose out the sky, keep your heart to God, and keep your face to the risin' sun.

  ➔ Imperative sentences with parallel structure

  ➔ Each clause (Keep your nose..., keep your heart..., keep your face...) is an imperative, giving a command or instruction. The parallelism creates a rhythmic and memorable effect.

• Why Uncle Ray and Aunt Sheila always performin'?

  ➔ Present Continuous for habitual action (with connotation of annoyance)

  ➔ The present continuous tense ("are ... performin'") used in this context implies that Uncle Ray and Aunt Sheila's performing is a recurring and often irritating event.