alternate lyric help

[dradtke]

Harry Chapin wrote a lot of good songs. I like to play not-so-well-known songs by good songwriters.

One of Chapin's songs that I'm messing with is My Old Lady, about a man who cheats on his wife, and is suddenly surprised to learn that she cheated on him.

The chorus is:
My old lady took herself a young man last night
It got me crazy when she said, "Baby, don't you get uptight."
She said, "Maybe it's time for you to see the light.
But it's all right now, boy, I'm yours tonight."

My problem with the lyric is "don't you get uptight". If that doesn't pin the song right to the 70s, I don't know what else would. Sock it to me.

I'm certainly not above changing a lyric, and this one is so jarring I can't leave it in. (In one of the verses he uses the word "chauvinist", but that's not quite so dated.) But I can't come up with any substitute that fits the rhythm and the rhyme.

And suggestions?

[Marshall]

What are you so uptight about ?

(I still use it; see ? ! ?)

[dradtke]

You can bet your sweet bippy some people are just stuck in the '70s, Marshall.

[iamjohnne]

Marshall,

I can't think of anything else that works there.

BTW, that is one of my favorite Chapin songs. I love the irony of it.

I'm sittin' here spitinning out chunks of my heart.
I hear the devil laughing somewhere.

The whole Dance Band on the Titanic album was great.

[mnhermit]

David -

I'm not sure this works for what you want, but how about"

Baby, aren't you a sight

[davidhanners]

"Baby, don't start a fight"?
"Baby, it's alright"?
"Baby, don't be trite"?
"Baby, I won't be contrite"?
"Baby, don't be impolite"
"Baby, it just felt right"?
"Baby, hand me a Sprite"?

Ok, I'm only kidding on the last one. But as Marshall said, I don't have a real problem with "uptight." It isn't that dated, if you ask me.

[millring]

baby, it's not worth a fight.

[dradtke]

I used "uptight" at the open mic at the Coffee Grounds last time, and it worked alright. Then again, everybody in the place was my age.