Family Matters – English Lyrics

• By: Skye Newman

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the authentic South East London dialect and intimate, unvarnished storytelling of Skye Newman’s hit, 'Family Matters.' The song is an exceptional opportunity to learn English that reflects real life and struggle, offering powerful phrases for emotional resilience and complex family dynamics, all delivered with a unique, raspy vocal style that makes every word count.

[English]

You've never worn these shoes

Don't mean my new balance in blue

Raised on pure dysfunction

But sleep I'll never lose

Guess you'll never notice

'Cause I always keep it neat

Got old wounds and fresh ones

But you won't see me bleed (mm)

Bitching 'bout problems

Like they're stuck on your lips

You're so dramatic

I could tell you 'bout me, but you won't understand

Get no caller IDs, it's the police again

No pills to be out, but there's no kids around

Death knocked down my door, walked in unannounced

A line meant two things since I was like five

Starved 'cause his words, but at least I'm alive

It is what it is, you call it traumatic

But it is what it is, it's just family matters

There's times I can't keep focused

'Cause they're all fucking raging

A spliff stops my explosion

Bad habits I'm not facing

At school, weed was my perfume

Then my brother's drugs got harder

It became substance abuse

So he's a stupid bastard

Bitching 'bout problems

Like they're stuck on your lips

You're so dramatic

I could tell you 'bout me, but you won't understand

Get no caller IDs, it's the police again

No pills to be out, but there's no kids around

Death knocked down my door, walked in unannounced

A line meant two things since I was like five

Starved 'cause his words, but at least I'm alive

It is what it is, you call it traumatic

But it is what it is, it's just family matters

I don't eat, I feed, that's who I am

You take the piss, baby, I burn

My fire's hot, yeah, I'm fucked up

But you haven't my family, so you're in luck

You haven't met my family, oh

Lucky you haven't met my family

'Cause I'm fucked up

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dysfunction /dɪsˈfʌŋkʃən/ C1	noun - failure to function normally
wounds /wuːndz/ B1	noun - injuries that break the skin
bleed /bliːd/ B1	verb - to lose blood from the body
problems /ˈprɒbləmz/ A2	noun - situations that cause difficulty
dramatic /drəˈmætɪk/ B2	adjective - exciting or impressive in a theatrical way
police /pəˈliːs/ A2	noun - the organized civil force for maintaining order
pills /pɪlz/ B1	noun - small solid doses of medicine
death /deθ/ A2	noun - the permanent end of life
unannounced /ˌʌnəˈnaʊnst/ C1	adjective - without warning or prior notice
starved /stɑːvd/ B2	verb - suffered from lack of food
traumatic /traʊˈmætɪk/ C1	adjective - causing severe emotional shock
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group of parents and children
matters /ˈmætərz/ B1	noun - situations or issues of importance
focused /ˈfoʊkəst/ B2	adjective - concentrating attention
raging /ˈreɪdʒɪŋ/ B2	adjective - showing violent anger
spliff /splɪf/ C2	noun - a cannabis cigarette
explosion /ɪkˈsploʊʒən/ B2	noun - a sudden violent release of energy
habits /ˈhæbɪts/ B1	noun - regular tendencies or practices
weed /wiːd/ B2	noun - marijuana
drugs /drʌɡz/ B1	noun - substances used to treat illness or recreationally

Key Grammar Structures

• You've never worn these shoes

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The use of 'have' + past participle ('worn') indicates an action that occurred before the present moment, often with relevance to now.

• But sleep I'll never lose

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will'

  ➔ The use of 'will' indicates a future action or state, emphasizing certainty or a strong belief.

• 'Cause I always keep it neat

  ➔ Present Simple with 'always'

  ➔ The use of 'always' with the present simple tense emphasizes a habitual action or a general truth.

• But you won't see me bleed (mm)

  ➔ Future Simple with 'will' (negative)

  ➔ The negative form of 'will' ('won't') is used to express that an action will not happen in the future.

• It is what it is, you call it traumatic

  ➔ Present Simple with 'is'

  ➔ The use of 'is' in the present simple tense emphasizes a state or condition that exists now.

• There's times I can't keep focused

  ➔ Present Simple with 'there's'

  ➔ The contraction 'there's' (there is) is used to indicate existence or occurrence in the present.

• So he's a stupid bastard

  ➔ Present Simple with 'is'

  ➔ The use of 'is' in the present simple tense describes a current state or characteristic.

• Lucky you haven't met my family

  ➔ Present Perfect with 'have' (negative)

  ➔ The negative form of the present perfect ('haven't') indicates an action that has not occurred up to the present.