Remarks:
One of my favourite Jill Scott songs. It was never put out as a single, but you can hear it on her third album, “Beautifully Human” (2004). You can also hear it at the end of the Sanaa Lathan film, “Something New” (2006) where somehow it fits perfectly.
Lyrics:
We at the family reunion, tellin’ jokes and playin’ spades
Uncle Dave is on the barbecue grill
Grandma braggin ’bout the blanket she made
For the new baby on her way
Even though the daddy ain’t really ready
This child is coming…anyway, yeah
Neicey made her famous potato salad, somehow it turns out green
Maybe it’s all the scalyums, could be the celery
But oh, Uncle Jerome loves it (Hmm)
Hey baby baby, here comes my favorite…my favorite cousin
He says he doing fine, takin’ it one step a day but in my heart I know it ain’t that way
[Chorus]
Whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa
What can you say…it’s family
And whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa
What can you say…it’s family
Aunt Juicy been drinkin’ again…ooh i’ts only 1:30 in the afternoon
Everybody tip-toeing ’round her, we all know she gonna be to’ up soon
Saying all the things we like to say, hope she gets around to Cousin Lonnie
‘Cause we all know he got a little extra somebody on the side (But)
Whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa
What can you say…it’s family
And whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa
What can you say…it’s family
Oh shit, Damn Micky and Steven are fightin’ again
Move out the way, somebody might get hurt
Aw look at that what happen is worst
They knocked over Helenora’s lemon cake (Emm)
You know the one she barely ever makes
I’m gettin’ riled up, I want them to go
But somebody turn Frankie Beverly on the stereo
Cousin Ruby starts rockin’, shakin’ her good hip and bottom
So we all fall into place, smiling and laughing
Whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa
What can you say…it’s family
And whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa
What can you say…it’s family
Whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa
What can you say…it’s family
And whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa whoa-o-whoa
What can you say…it’s family
See also:
- Jill Scott & Mos Def: Love Rain
- Jill Scott: I Keep
- Zapp & Roger: I Want To Be Your Man – another song Sanaa Lathan slow danced to, this one in Love & Basketball
This song always makes me want some potato salad.
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This song makes me feel at home, with my extended family, and I recall it being one of my faves from BEAUTIFULLY HUMAN.
I love this song and the dialectic (?) spellings in the lyrics — for example, “scalyums” instead of “scallions.” It’s like my dad, who’s from the Deep South, pronouncing “shrimps” as “skramps.” African-descended people in the U.S., Caribbean countries and elsewhere did the best they could to adapt to the English, French, Portuguese, Spanish language as best they could so white people could understand them and, later, so they could make their way in this world.
However, Africans of the Diaspora also held onto their unique, creative languages, what some like to refer to as “creole,” “patois” and pig latin. You know, it takes a lot of creative to survive. Oh yeah, and love of family is really important, too, to that survival. I suppose, it’s like making sure there’s onion in the potato salad or cayenne in Old Bay’s seasoning in the batter for “skramps” for the family Friday fish fry.
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Abagond did you change your backdrop to make it look like it’s snowing? Or is their something wrong with my laptop?
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Snow is a blog setting.
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Oh. That’s cool!
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Its going to get annoying after a while. I thought it might have been a browser hijack!!!
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OMG. I love me some Jill Scott. Some people say I look like her.
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Thank you Abagond…. I love your pieces but had to comment on this one! One I love Jill Scott, Two this Totally resembles my mothers side of our family(american born)…. Father(Caribbean born) total opposite family reunions ….but whoa-o-whoa what can you say…it’s Family
🙂
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