mi come yah fi drink milk, mi nuh come yah fi count cow

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

Literally, "I came here to drink milk, I didn't come here to count cows."

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɪ kʌm ja fɪ‿d͡ʒɹɪŋk mɪlk mɪ‿nʌ‿kʌm ja‿fɪ‿kɔʊ̯nt kɔʊ̯/
• Hyphenation: mi‧come‧yah‧fi‧drink‧milk‧mi‧nuh‧come‧yah‧fi‧count‧cow

Proverb

mi come yah fi drink milk, mi nuh come yah fi count cow

1. get to the point

   DEALER: Di summer hot. Mek wi look pon couple AC before we talk 'bout di fridge.
   CUSTOMER: Listen man, mi come yah fi drink milk, mi nuh come yah fi count cow.

   DEALER: The summer's hot. Let's look at a few AC's before we talk about the fridge.
   CUSTOMER: Listen man, let's get to the point.

   • 2001, Anand Prahlad, Reggae Wisdom: Proverbs in Jamaican Music (in English), →ISBN, page 260:

     “// BW 125:957, "You come to drink milk an' no fe count cow, i.e., not pry into my affairs"; TU 31; "Many people carry out their business in a straightforward manner, but others are merely a 'bag of mouth,' in such cases it may become necessary to remind them 'mi come here fi drink milk, mi noh come here fi count cow'" […] ”

2. mind your own business

   CO-WORKER: Yow, yuh nuh hear seh di boss an' di secretary a gwaan wid tings? YOU: Listen man, mi come yah fi drink milk, mi nuh come yah fi count cow.

   CO-WORKER: Hey, did you hear that the boss and the secretary are fooling around? YOU: Listen man, I'm just trying to mind my own business.

   • 2018, Canute B. White BSc (Hon), MSc (Psy), MSc (Org. Stud.), Awah So?: A Collection of Jamaican Proverbs for Therapy and Empowerment (in English), →ISBN, page 114:

     “Patois: "Mi cum ya fi drink milk; mi no cum ya fi count cow."
     English:I came to drink milk; I did not come to count the cows.
     This cautions you to always remember your purpose and never get involved in things that are outside of your responsibility (in other words, mind your own business). […] ”

3. I desire reward without effort. I do not have time for that.

   A: Yuh haffi do six month a training fi get yuh licence. B: No, sistren. Mi come yah fi drink milk, mi nuh come yah fi count cow.

   A: You have to do six months of training to earn your licence. B: Lady, I'd like to get that licence much faster.

   (literally, “I don't have time for that.”)

   • 2002, Ron Ehrens, Blue Moon (in English), →ISBN, page 154:

     “He smiled when he added, "Now, we all know that Jesus is black and that white Christian preachers have been perverting scriptures to conceal that fact, but, Star, mi bredda mon, me think ya cum fi drink milk, ya nuh cum ya fi count cow." […] ”

Usage notes

At the core of the idiom is the expression of the idea that one is not interested in activities that waste time.