Nobody's Business If I Do (Traditional - Reimagined)

[Voice: Male bari-tenor, G2–E4. Warm, weathered Appalachian blues storyteller with a sly, defiant edge. Traditional sections relaxed, soulful and conversational. Rap sections witty, rhythmic and grounded, never aggressive.] [Verse 1] [There’s a woman down the road And she’s got a mind of her own. She can do just what she pleases, And she can leave me alone. She says, “I love you when I love you, And I’ll tell you when I do.” If anybody doesn’t like it, That’s nobody’s business but mine and you.] [Chorus] [Nobody’s business if I do, Nobody’s business if I do. I’m gonna live the life I choose, And nobody’s business if I do. Nobody’s business if I do, Nobody’s business if I do. Long as I’m not hurting you, Nobody’s business if I do.] [Verse 2] [Some folks watch you from the window, Some folks whisper in the street. They got something to say about Everybody that they meet. They’ll tell you what you ought to wear, They’ll tell you where you ought to go. But they don’t have to walk your road, And they don’t have to carry what you know.] [Rap 1] [Everybody’s got an opinion. Everybody’s got advice. They’ll hand you their whole rulebook Like they printed it in paradise. “Why you living like that?” “Why you talking like that?” “Why you loving that person?” “Why you wearing that hat?” Here’s the thing about freedom: It works both ways. You get to make your choices, I get to make mine. You don’t have to understand me. I don’t have to understand you. We can disagree all day long And still let each other do what we do.] [Chorus] [Nobody’s business if I do, Nobody’s business if I do. I’m gonna live the life I choose, And nobody’s business if I do.] [Verse 3] [Now freedom ain’t a free pass To do somebody wrong. If I break a promise, I should own it when it’s gone. If I hurt somebody, I can’t hide behind a phrase. “Nobody’s business” Doesn’t wash away mistakes. But if I’m walking my own road, And I’m carrying my own load, I don’t need a crowd of strangers Telling me which way to go.] [Rap 2] [There’s a difference Between freedom and pretending. You can say, “Mind your business,” While you’re running from the ending. Your choices are your choices, But consequences travel too. You can live the way you want, But you still owe the truth. That ain’t somebody else’s business. That’s accountability. But who I love, How I live, What I dream, Where I go— If I’m not hurting anybody, Why you gotta know?] [Bridge] [I spent too many years Trying to please everybody else. Trying to fit somebody’s picture, Trying to be somebody else. Then I finally figured out What freedom really means: You can love somebody deeply And still belong to yourself.] [Rap 3] [Let the neighbors talk. Let the busybodies stare. Let the people with opinions Put their opinions everywhere. I’m not asking for permission. I’m not asking for applause. I’ll answer for my actions, But I won’t answer for your laws. You can walk your road. I can walk mine. We don’t have to draw a battle line. Maybe freedom isn’t Doing anything you please. Maybe freedom’s knowing What is yours to carry And what you leave.] [Final Chorus] [Nobody’s business if I do, Nobody’s business if I do. I’m gonna live the life I choose, And nobody’s business if I do. Nobody’s business if I do, Nobody’s business if I do. I’ll own what I have to own, And leave the rest to you. Nobody’s business if I do, Nobody’s business if I do. I’ll live my life with a clear heart, And nobody’s business if I do.] [Outro] [Nobody’s business if I do. That’s my business. Nobody’s business if I do. I said, that’s my business.]