Released: July 23, 1991

Songwriter: DJ Jazzy Jeff Will Smith

Producer: Hula & K Fingers

[Chorus]
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Every time you talk)
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)

[Verse 1: Will Smith]
Now, I don't know what it is
But I've had this problem since I was a little kid
Girls were drawn to me
You might be askin yourself "how big a problem could that be?"
Check this out and peep this here y'all
Bein this f-l-y got pitfalls
'Cause I got it rough
'Cause one girl for me ain't never been enough
And it seems that women can't handle when
Your paintbrush is for more than one canvas
But I gotta keep paintin' on
Like Picasso goin till the break of dawn
Now the way I play
The things I say
Never been a lie cause I ain't that type of guy
And that's why I get totally appalled
When females say I ain't nothin but a dog

[Chorus]
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)

[Verse 2]
Back in high school this girl named Tracy
Used to do her best to disgrace me
She tried to destroy F.P
She told all her friends I was a d-o-g
But yo I swear it was a misunderstanding
But she seemed to think that I planned it
She had this friend named Yvette
Who wanted to double date, cause she was likin' Jeff
But I showed up all alone
I told her that Jeff was sick back at home
I said "I tried to call you
But we can still double date, me plus y'all two"
She didn't get what the joke was all about
And she slapped the taste out my mouth
And with a huff and a puff walked off
And then Tracy said "he ain't nothin but a dog"

[Chorus]
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)

[Verse 3]
Dammit I ain't no dog
And thats one of the names I refuse to be called
'Cause that label just ain't fair yo
Look I'm a prince I'm supposed to have a harem
Well of course I like you
But I like her and I like that other girl too
What do you mean I'm just like those other singers
Look I don't see no rings on these fingers
I ain't ready to settle down quite yet
I wanna call my name on the night set
I want a shoe box wit hundreds of love notes
I want my phone to ring till its broke
I wanna dance in France and Italy
And girls in Egypt thinkin' just of me
I wanna be in the mix that's all
But I guess to you I ain't nothin but a dog

[Chorus]
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)

[Outro]
Yo baby, can I rap to you for a second?
I just want to talk to you
Now, I want to know why I gotta be a dog
Why d-o-g gotta refer to me
Look, baby, I'm 21 years old
You know, I'm makin a little bit of money
I'm just tryin to see the world, have some fun, you know?
And yes, okay, look, I do have a lot of "friends"
Well, uh, associates, I like to think of them as creative date associates
I mean, Yvette is my associate, Donna's my associate
I mean, I'm just tryin to enjoy myself, but you keep callin' me a dog
Oh, I'm a dog? (DOG)
I'm a dog, right? oh, okay well um, RUFF (RUFF)

[Chorus]
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)
You ain't nothin but a dog
(Is a dog, is a dog, is a dog)

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

“DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince” is a hip-hop duo from West Philadelphia.

Rapper Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) met disc jockey Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff) in the 1980s, when they were both trying to make names for themselves in West Philadelphia’s local hip hop scene.

The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, though their most successful single was “Summertime” which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.