Black Sheep of the Family

Meaning of “Black Sheep of the Family”

The phrase “black sheep of the family” means a person who has caused a bad reputation or brought disrespect to the family name. When a person does not conform to the family rules, disrespects elders, and the values, he or she is called the black sheep of the family.

Origin of “Black Sheep of the Family”

The phrase “black sheep of the family” is assumed to have originated from the Biblical verse Genesis 30:32, which goes as: “All blacke shepe amonge the lambes.”

Here lambs mean innocent persons, while black sheep symbolize people who are not in line with the accepted religious standards. It means the same thing though the spellings have been standardized in the later usages.

Examples in Literature

Example #1

Black Sheep by John Anderson

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 on 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

John Anderson narrates the courageous family background of his hard-working parents. At the same time, he calls himself the “black sheep of the family” who has not done anything else. It is just implicit as he has given a sketch of his doctor brother, who now roams around in his Mercedes. In fact, he wants to state that though his father and mother have done their best, he didn’t achieve great things in life or even higher education.

Example #2

Black Sheep of the Family by Al Atkins

All the words are wrong and my shadow’s getting long
I realise this song don’t mean much
Got an ache in my head, I wanna go to bed
Tomorrow I don’t have to wake up, no

So fortune shine your light on me, I’m amazed
It’s true what they say about familiarity
There’s nothing good this way
And it’s true they say
I’m the black sheep of the family
So fortune shine your light on me, I’m amazed
It’s true what they say about familiarity
There’s nothing good this way
And it’s true they say
I’m the black sheep of the family

I’m the black sheep

Black sheep
Black sheep
I’m the black sheep
I’m the black sheep

The song is self-explanatory and the meaning of this phrase through their lyric of the same title. The speaker talks about his own behavior, about his headache and wanting to rest. However, he doesn’t care about his well-being for the sake of fortune. He believes what others say about him and agrees that he is the black sheep of the family.

Example #3

Black Sheep and Kissing Cousins: How Our Family Stories Shape Us by Elizabeth Stone

Elizabeth Stone is from Italy and settling in Brooklyn and has various stories from her family. She talks about her cousins, uncles, and aunts of all ages and regions. She shares her background, motivation, including things she loves and hates. Interestingly, in all these stories is that there are odd people who do not conform to family values. She has singled out such characters to show that there are always black sheep in the families who break family values and bring a bad reputation to them.

Example #4

The Family by Rita M. Bryant

Jesse and Fannie were Uncle Abraham’s children. Uncle Abraham was often referred to as the black sheep of the family because of his playboy style. His motto was to love them and leave them. He never married their mother; therefore, the family would only see them at the convenience of their mother. She would let them come most of the time for holidays, family reunions, unless there was a funeral. They were bitter because of all the family gossip regarding their father. Grandma and Mama went out of their way to make them feel comfortable whenever they were with us. Grandma and Grandpa gave them the most expensive gifts at Christmas, everyone signing birthday cards. I know this was their way to make up to them. They always were mean starting fight with us.  The nerve of them to sit here with a smirk shit of a grin on their faces, only to say, “And you called me daddy the black sheep of the family.”

This above excerpt shows the use of this phrase in two settings. First, Uncle Abraham has been referred to as the black sheep of the family. Next, the narrator’s father is called as the black sheep of the family. In both settings, the characters disobeyed or broke the rules set by their parents.

Examples in Sentences

Example #1: “Everyone in Mandy’s family is a corporate law business. However, she chose to be an artist and became the black sheep of the family.”

Example #2: “If you break the ancient traditions, you will become the black sheep of the family and removed from the will of your father.”

Example #3: “Harry became the black sheep of the family after abandoning his friend’s wedding for a solo trip.”

Example #4: “Katie is like the black sheep of the family but without any bad habits. She just doesn’t like to mingle with her relatives.”

Example #5: “There is at least one black sheep of the family in every home. If the parents raise the children with love and discipline, they will not go astray.”