Family Tradition

• By: Hank Williams, Jr.
• Album: A Country Boy Can Survive (Box Set)

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group of one or more parents and their children living together as a unit
tradition /trəˈdɪʃən/ B1	noun - the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A1	noun - vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion
drink /drɪŋk/ A1	verb - to take (liquid) into the mouth and swallow noun - liquid suitable for drinking
smoke /smoʊk/ A2	verb - to inhale and exhale the smoke of burning tobacco or a drug noun - the cloud of black, grey, or white gases and particles produced when something burns
songs /sɔːŋz/ A1	noun - a musical composition with words for singing
stoned /stoʊnd/ B2	adjective - under the influence of drugs
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known or addressed
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to make musical sounds with the voice
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - have a strong feeling of affection for
doctor /ˈdɒktər/ A1	noun - a person who is qualified to treat people with illness or injury
unique /juːˈniːk/ B2	adjective - being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else
kind /kaɪnd/ A2	noun - a group of people or things having similar characteristics
honky-tonk /ˈhɒŋki tɒŋk/ C1	noun - a cheap or disreputable bar, club, or dance hall, typically one where country music is played

Grammar:

• But lately some of my kinfolks Have disowned a few others and me

  ➔ Present Perfect: "Have disowned"

  ➔ The "present perfect" tense (have + past participle) indicates an action that started in the past and continues to have relevance in the present. Here, the act of disowning happened recently, and the singer is still affected by it.

• I guess it's because I kinda changed my direction

  ➔ Informal Contraction: "kinda"

  ➔ "Kinda" is a colloquial abbreviation of "kind of." It's used informally to soften a statement or indicate approximation. Using "kinda" reflects the casual and conversational tone common in country music lyrics. It also implies an understatement of how much the singer's direction changed.

• Lord, I guess I went and broke their family tradition

  ➔ Informal Use of "went and": "went and broke"

  ➔ The phrase "went and broke" is an informal way of saying "broke". The "went and" construction adds a sense of spontaneity or unintended consequence to the action. It emphasizes that he did something without thinking about it much.

• They get on me and want to know Hank, why do you drink?

  ➔ Phrasal Verb: "get on me"

  ➔ "Get on me" is a phrasal verb meaning to criticize or pressure someone. It implies that people are bothering him by constantly questioning his behavior.

• Why must you live out the songs that you wrote?

  ➔ Modal Verb: "must"

  ➔ The modal verb "must" here doesn't express obligation, but rather conveys a sense of exasperation or disbelief. It questions why the singer *insists* on living a certain way, suggesting it's excessive or unnecessary.

• Everybody makes my prediction So if I get stoned, I'm just carrying on An old family tradition

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1): "if I get stoned, I'm just carrying on..."

  ➔ This is a type 1 conditional sentence, expressing a real possibility in the present or future. "If" the singer gets stoned (present simple), then he will be carrying on the family tradition (future simple, expressed with "'m" + present continuous).

• Although his kind of music And mine ain't exactly the same

  ➔ Informal Negative Contraction: "ain't"

  ➔ "Ain't" is a non-standard, informal contraction that can stand for "am not," "is not," "are not," "has not," or "have not." Here, it replaces "isn't" or "is not." It emphasizes the informal and colloquial tone of the song and reflects a certain dialect.

• If I'm down in a honky-tonk And some ole slick's trying to give me friction

  ➔ Present Continuous for Ongoing Action: "I'm down", "slick's trying"

  ➔ The use of the present continuous emphasizes that these actions are happening at the moment of speaking or the time being described. "I'm down" (although colloquial, implies that I'm currently spending time) and "slick's trying" shows the act of trying to give friction is actively occurring.