Now then, the song's not as obvious as the themes to "Beverly Hillbillies" or "Gilligan's Island" that give you a complete back-story. Suffice it to say that the Jeffersons got rich by growing George's startup dry-cleaning storefront into a chain of eight dry-cleaning businesses, thus allowing 'em to move from their little house in Queens (next to the Bunkers) to the aforementioned East Side penthouse.Now then, the song's all about how they're now rich and are "moving on up" in lifestyle. In the bridge in the middle of the song, however, is the line.
Fish don't fry in the kitchen. Beans don't burn on the grill.
I've never understood what this line's doing in a song about being rich. Is it meant to imply that rich people don't fry fish and eat beans?
The line immediately after is "Took a whole lot of trying, just to get up that hill", so perhaps the line refers to how George and Weezie didn't have time to cook because they were working so hard at the business.
Any other theories?
Could mean that rich folks spend their time eating at fancy restaurants instead of frying fish and grill'n beans.