don't get above your raising

don't get above your raising pronunciation

/dont git uh-BUV yore RAY-zin/

Meaning

A warning to stay humble and loyal to your upbringing. If somebody comes home from college, a new job, or a big paycheck talking fancy and looking down on kin, this is the line somebody on the porch will throw. Raising means how you were brought up, not dried fruit. You hear it with the g dropped as raisin' almost every time.

How folks use it

• “He bought that fancy truck and quit speaking at church. Don't get above your raising.”
• “Mama told me, don't get above your raising just because you got a diploma.”

Origin and etymology

Southern and Appalachian English. Raising means upbringing. Wayword Radio notes the phrase is common in the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky, usually with the g dropped so it sounds like raisin. Wiktionary labels it Southern US for not acting out of keeping with how you were brought up. Country and bluegrass kept it famous, including Ricky Skaggs's song Don't Get Above Your Raisin'. Scots-Irish humility talk is often credited, though the exact first print date is hard to pin.

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