Family Man
DARYL HALL&JOHN OATES Lyrics


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She had sulky smile
She took her standard pose as she presented herself
She had sultry eyes
She made it perfectly plain that she was his for a price

But he said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
And my bark is much worse than my bite
He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
If you push me too far I just might

She wore hurt surprise
As she rechecked her make up to protect herself
Dropped her price and pride
She made it totally clear that she was his for a night

But he said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
And my bark is much worse than my bite
He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
If you push me too far I just might

She gave him her look
It would have worked on any other man around
He looked her up and down
She knew he couldn't decide if he should hold his ground

But he said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
And my bark is much worse than my bite
He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
If you push me too far I just might

She turned, tossed her head
Unlike her opening move, her final exit line
He waited much too long
But by the time he got his courage up she was gone

And he screamed, leave me alone, I'm a family man
And my bark is much worse than my bite
He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
If you push me too far I just might

He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
And I don't think I want you tonight
He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
If you push me too far I just might

He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
And my bark is much worse than my bite
He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
If you push me too far I just might





He said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
Don't leave me alone 'cause I got to go hungry

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Hall and Chromeo’s “Family Man” paint a picture of a man who, despite being tempted by a woman’s sultry advances, remains firm in his commitment to his family. The opening verse describes the woman’s subtle attempts to entice the man, but he refuses, stating that he is a “family man” and warning her that his “bark is much worse than [his] bite”. The woman persists, dropping her price, but the man again resists, saying that he may give in if she pushes him too far. Despite her efforts, he ultimately rejects her and insists that he is a family man who cannot be swayed.


The lyrics can be interpreted in a few different ways. On one level, they represent the common struggle between temptation and loyalty. The woman represents the tempting, exciting thrills of infidelity, while the man represents the responsible commitments of marriage and family. By resisting the woman’s advances, the man is reinforcing his commitment to monogamy and family values.


On a deeper level, the song can be seen as a commentary on the intersections of power, money, and sex. The woman’s “price” suggests that she is a sex worker or otherwise using her sexuality to gain power or financial resources. The man, on the other hand, stands in opposition to her attempts to use her sexuality to manipulate him, demonstrating that he is not willing to sell out his family for a night of pleasure.


Line by Line Meaning

She had sulky smile
She had a moody expression on her face


She took her standard pose as she presented herself
She stood and posed in a familiar manner


She had sultry eyes
She had seductive eyes


She made it perfectly plain that she was his for a price
She was upfront about wanting money in exchange for her time


But he said, leave me alone, I'm a family man
He declared that he had a family and was not interested in her


And my bark is much worse than my bite
While he may appear intimidating, he wouldn't actually take any action


If you push me too far I just might
If she didn't leave him alone, he could become aggressive


She wore hurt surprise
She was hurt and surprised by his rejection


As she rechecked her make up to protect herself
She fixed her makeup to look her best despite the disappointment


Dropped her price and pride
She lowered her fee and gave up some of her self-respect


She made it totally clear that she was his for a night
She made it quite obvious that she was willing to spend the night with him


She gave him her look
She gave him a seductive glance


It would have worked on any other man around
Her look would have been successful with most other men


He looked her up and down
He checked her out, examining her from head to toe


She knew he couldn't decide if he should hold his ground
She understood that he was unsure of what to do next


She turned, tossed her head
She spun around and flipped her hair


Unlike her opening move, her final exit line
Her ending statement was different from her initial approach


He waited much too long
He took too much time deciding what to do


But by the time he got his courage up she was gone
He took too long and missed his chance


And he screamed, leave me alone, I'm a family man
He yelled that he was a family man and didn't want her around


Don't leave me alone 'cause I got to go hungry
He didn't want her to leave him alone because he needed to eat


And I don't think I want you tonight
He decided that he didn't want to spend time with her




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID BROUGH PERT-MORRIS, EDDIE FENN, MAGGIE REILLY, MICHAEL GORDON OLDFIELD, MIKE FRY, TIMOTHY KJELL CROSS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@edkeaton1085

Any song from "Hall and Oates" from the 80's will always be a classic to me. They have a lot of heart and soul. Awesome group!

@markgoodwin7442

Love these guys so does my pop who is 74

@edkeaton1085

Mark Goodwin Right on! I have been a big fan of Hall & Oates since the eighties, bro!

@tracyconner1497

Ed Keaton same 😋

@ozzyhoang3499

@@edkeaton1085 I have 30 favorite bands of the '80s, but since the '90s up till now 2022..... I have none, big 0 band to like....Music is dead!

@alexandermakrianis

Yes sir, you are right on the money! 1980s Hall and Oats is the best!

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@rodneycox5798

One of the most underated Hall and Oates songs EVER

@nexxxus7498

GE Smith kills it on the lead guitar. He is so underrated!!! He is one of the greatest guitarist out there. He doesn’t get his due because he was mostly a studio player. The guy is absolutely🔥🔥🔥!!!

@micway71

He was getting it!! You know he could probably hang with just about anyone plucking! Nice sound too!

@lauramayfield5410

He was with the house band for SNL back in the day xo

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