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Too Hung Over
(Thanksgiving With Real Indians)
words and music by Paige Powell © 2013 Paige E. Powell
1. Betsy and I are college roommates
And Grandma’s pickin’ us up in the mornin’
Down in her car, we’re not expecting
Two Saudi Arabian students
But we are too hung over to ask,
“Hey, Grandma, where are we going?”
As she drives us all away from Tulsa
And, we are too hung over to talk
To the Saudis Grandma invited
To Thanksgiving with real Indians
2. Lone, country house — and we’re outnumbered.
Native Americans are eating platefuls of food
The TV’s got football. Indians watching the Redskins
But we are too hung over to ask
Who lives here and who is related
To the woman who invited Grandma
Yes, we are too hung over to talk,
But no one is chatty or friendly
At Thanksgiving with real Indians
Bridge: And I am feeling guilty and
Surprised and overwhelmed
Guilty for the history between
their people and mine
That firewater that we drank last night
just did us in
My brain has a sign:
“Out of order — try next time”
3. Turkey and dressing and real good gravy.
Green beans and sweet, sweet potatoes
Nothin’ to do but feed our faces.
And look at Indians all through this house
Still, we are too hung over to ask,
"What became of the Saudis?"
We hear Grandma laughing in the kitchen
Still, we are too hung over to talk,
Or let our big mouths get us in trouble
At Thanksgiving with real Indians
Where our big mouths could get us in trouble
At Thanksgiving with real Indians!
Laugh with this comedy song, based on a true story about being too hung over to talk to the Saudi Arabian students my Grandma invited while having Thanksgiving with real Indians. People who have heard this song ONCE remember it!
Even the music is funny in a “country bumpkin” kind of way for this comedy song. "Betsy and I are college roommates, and Grandma's pickin' us up in the mornin'" and we're too hung over to talk or absorb what's going on. "Down in her car, we're not expecting two Saudi Arabian students... that Grandma invited (with us) to Thanksgiving with real Indians!" Paige and Betsy are friends to this day. After Paige finished writing and editing the song, she called Betsy and sang it to her over the phone. Betsy exclaimed, “I REMEMBER that!” and they talked about the strange and amusing experience.
Thank you, Kevin Dudley, for the lyric writing exercise at our SAW Songwriter's Toolbox meeting which was the "kick-off" for this song. And many thanks to the Songwriters Association of Washington and the DC chapter of NSAI for the feedback to make it less confusing and more funny. Also, a big “thank you” to my producer and recording engineer Kevin Gutierrez, who supplied the drums digitally.
Wanna play this song? You can! It's okay with me! Here are a couple of links to the lead sheets:
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