John Anderson Lyrics
"Black Sheep"
My daddy was a brakeman on a highball traveling train
Mama she raised four little children and the family had a good name
And papa and mama wanted all for us they never had
Big brother little brother sister too none of them turned out half bad
Cept me I'm the black sheep of the family
Big brother went to
college and became a doctor man
I guess he makes about a million dollars a year off the folks own insurance plan
He's got a big long Mercedes Benz and a house overlooking the town
He sits in his Jacuzzi and he watches the sun go down
And he feels real sorry for me I'm the black sheep of the family
Yeah I drive me a big ol' semi truck I'm makin' payments on a two room shack
My wife she waits on tables and at night she rubs my back
And I tell her what my papa said to
my mama when he got off a highball train
Wake me up early be good to my dogs and teach my children to pray
Little sister married a banker yeah he owns a country club
He bought her a big ol' racing horse and a funny lookin' little dog
He buys her big rings and diamonds and a brand new Japanese yacht
They like to get together and talk about all the things they've got
But they never mention me I'm the black sheep of the family
Yeah I drive me a big ol' semi
truck...
I'm sayin' woman wake me up early be good to my dogs
And teach my children to pray
Writer(s): Robert B. Altman, Daniel Darst
- AZLyrics
- J
- John Anderson Lyrics
album: "All The People Are Talkin'" (1983)
Definition: The oddball member of the family who does not fall in line with the others; the worst member of the family. Also used as the shortened phrase black sheep, the black sheep of the family is someone who makes bad decisions or has a bad
reputation within a family unit. While the rest of a family may follow laws, the person who is the black sheep of that family may have been to jail or is simply the “odd man out” when it comes to family relations.Black Sheep Meaning
While often used to describe a person with drastically bad behavior, the phrase can also be used to describe somebody who does not fit in with his or her family.
For example, a girl who wants to join the cheerleading squad while the rest of her sisters and mother are all competitive swimmers may feel like she is the black sheep of the family because she does not fit in with them.
This phrase may have originated from the fact that black sheep were less valuable than white sheep because their wool was more difficult to dye various colors.
This phrase can also be traced to the Bible. A 1535 translation of the Bible includes the phrase “all blacke shepe amonge the lambes” [all black sheep among the lambs] in Genesis 30:32.
In this biblical sense, Jacob is negotiating a wage from Laban. Sensing Laban’s extreme selfishness, Jacob proposes that he be paid with animals, not with money, and that he will accept only the black or speckled sheep. Of course, that vast majority of sheep are white, so his pay would be very little.
Additionally, in the 1600s, Religious Puritans who immigrated to the Americas began using this phrase to describe people with unwanted behaviors. Thomas Shepard wrote In The Sincere Convert,
- Cast out all the Prophane people among us, as drunkards, swearers, whores, lyers, which the Scripture brands for blacke sheepe…
Commonly, the word black references negativity or evil, and so black sheep continues to be a phrase to describe an outsider or negative person.
Examples of Black Sheep of the Family
A man who has cheated on his wife might be referred to by his family members as the family’s black sheep because his family does not support his immoral choice.
People might also say, “I feel like the black sheep of the family” if they feel as if they do not fit in with the rest of their family. It is common to hear teens describe themselves as “black sheep” and emphasize their differences.
More Examples
- Scott said Gomez killed Rosas because she wanted him out of her life. “He’s the black sheep of the family,” Scott said. –LA Times
- “I’m in plastics,” says Alan, 59, “Eddie calls me the black sheep of the family [because his brothers work in music together instead of in the plastic industry]” –Chicago Tribune
Summary
The black sheep of the family is a person who makes bad or very different decisions and may not fit in within their family.
Contents
- 1 Black Sheep Meaning
- 2 Origin of Black Sheep of the Family
- 3 Examples of Black Sheep of the Family
- 4 More Examples
- 5 Summary