LYRICS: [speed dial tone, shrill ring tone, smooth dog bark] Hello? You’re finding yourself up the creek without a paddle which is exactly where you are now. I’m not! Up the creek without a paddle is where you are! That’s a lot of baloney, I’m not, I’m right close to the top! Huh! Show me! This time I’ll show ya! -Up the creek without a paddle, Mama said you lost the battle. You ain’t fit to be part of her society. Up the creek without a paddle, put the pedal to the metal, why d’you have to be so far up the creek like me.
Look at you! You’re, you’re, you’re up up the creek wihout a paddle! Now look what happened, now look where you are. Ahahahugh! That is the end of you and it was the end of you! That’s for darn sure! Women! You didn’t stop me from going to the Bahamas.The Bahamas will never be repeated again, ever! We want women! That’s for the birds & you know it! Women! 4 years at Hotchkiss at this marvelous school doesn’t give you many options does it! You had, you you had your day, you were wrong, and I was right. Okay. Yea nice talkin to you. Burp. Bye. Mama said you’re up the creek, daddy looks like a geek. Mama said you’re up the creek, Daddy looks like a geek. Where you are you gotta be..
-Up the creek without a paddle, Mama said you lost the battle. You ain’t fit to be part of her society. Up the creek without a paddle, put the pedal to the metal, why d’you have to be so far up thew creek like me.
You get into a 3rd rate college unfortunately for you. It’s not enough, it’s not enough, what the heck are you gonna do? Oh no! You can always move down the ladder, I was hoping you would be moving up. After the orgy I just wanna party! No dear, you will not. I said this, you almost have B but you don’t, you have C. Almost is nothing, you sure don’t convince me. But you’re gonna learn some self discipline and I will insist on that. Hey let’s talk, I want women. Huh! That’s too bad! [8 bar bridge] Mama says you’re up the creek, daddy looks like a geek. Mama said you’re up the creek, daddy looks like a geek. Where you are you gotta be..
-Up the creek without a paddle, Mama said you’re in the saddle. You are free to be everything you wanna see. With or without that paddle you can really straddle anything if you believe where you are you gotta be.. [operator:] Would you deposit 75 cents for your overtime please.
Music, lyrics, arrangement, production, computer & keyboard programming:: © Geo Godley, (Betty Godley lyrics co-writer)
Lead vocals: Betty Godley, Geo Godley
Backing vocals: Jenny of Island records Fallout Shelter Chiswick London & friend
Piano, keyboards, synth, brass, strings, sound effects, fair use parody samples: Geo Godley
Bass: Studio Electronics Moog, KORG EX8000, Roland ??? & Yamaha clavinova: Geo Godley
Electric guitar bit: session musician
Sound engineers: David Garnish, James Reynolds, ..
Versions: Students house London dorm room demo / Vons studio London Caledonian road version [“i hate you mother already” said the sound engineer] / Matrix Studios London version / Roundhouse Studio version / Chelsea home studio demos / Bunk Junk Genius version / Dori protools versions/ Strongroom Studios London remix, Sony master [above, released online 1 march 2023]
Story/ production notes: Age 17, about to graduate from boarding school, I [GeorgeGodley.com] recorded my 2nd mother’s verbal abuse on the phone. “You’re up the creek without a paddle! You get into a 3rd rate college! That is the end of you!” & sampled it into this personally written & produced song 5 years later. She cut me off for doing music which she considered low class & unacceptable yet ironically unwittingly co-wrote & performed this hit [← lol] everyone liked.. She cried with nostalgia to old songs she taught me saying “you need it” like “Siko horepse syrtaki”, “Yalo Yalo”,”San pio krasi”, “Tha’rtho mia nyxta me fengari” “gia mia kitharitsa” “Stis Plakas Tis Anifories”.. The full phone conversation includes threats of force to do a post graduate year in an all boys English school to “learn self discipline” which ironically was “laissez faire”: “You shouldn’t have to stay up all night to study for exams” said Tim Perry.
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