Lyr Req: Yuppies in the Sky (Tom Paxton)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yuppies in the Sky (Tom Paxton)
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 30 Jan 19 - 05:47 PM

Just noticed that Joe's link near the start is broken (and this is an ancient thread with a link to a cgi-bin thing I don't even remember).

The song is in the dt at https://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=8052

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yuppies in the Sky (Tom Paxton)
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 30 Jan 19 - 05:37 PM

Boston? I always thought the Columbus Avenue in the song was the one on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yuppies in the Sky (Tom Paxton)
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Jan 19 - 12:08 PM

Let's try that link one more time.

Boston Globe editorial

Subject: Lyr Add: YUPPIES IN THE SKY (Tom Paxton)
From: saulgoldie
Date: 30 Jan 19 - 10:12 AM

I don't know if this is still needed, but...


(To the tune of "Ghostriders in the Sky" of course.)

YUPPIES IN THE SKY
Words and Music by Tom Paxton

As I walked out one evening, down Columbus Avenue,
The sushi bars were shuttered, the dark cantinas, too.
I stood there in the darkness, as an empty cab rolled by
When all at once I heard the sound of Yuppies in the sky.

The herd came down Columbus, for as far as I could see.
All the men were wearing Polo, and the women wore Esprit.
Each Yuppie had a Walkman, and as each one passed me by,
I saw their sad expressions, and I heard their mournful cry.

    [Cho:]
    "Condos for sale!
    Condos to buy,
    for Yuppies in the sky."

Each one was wearing running shoes, upon the ghostly deck.
And each one had a cotton sweater, wrapped around the neck.
They all held out their credit cards, and tried in vain to buy,
But all the stores were shuttered, to the Yuppies in the sky.

[Cho:]

I've seen them in commercials, sailing boats and playing ball,
Pouring beer for one another, crying, "Why not have it all?".
Now I saw the ghostly progress, down Columbus Avenue,
I heard the cry for mercy, and it chilled me through and through.
[Alternate last line: "It made me want to buy myself a BMW."]

[Cho:]

All the salad bars were empty. All the Quiche Lorraine was gone.
I heard the Yuppies crying, as they vanished in the dawn,
Calling brand names to each other, as they faded from my view.
They'll be networking forever, down Columbus Avenue.

[Cho:]



Saul

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yuppies in the Sky (Tom Paxton)
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Jan 19 - 10:48 PM

Well, this thread mentions, besides Tom Paxton,
parts of Boston which have changed
(cited in Paxton's lyric).

Columbus Avenue
and Shawmut Avenue are close to each other in the South End of Boston.

I was briefly acquainted with a historic South End church on Shawmut Avenue.
It was Holy Trinity, a Catholic parish that began with an influx,
centuries ago, of German-American immigration, thus the church was also Heiligste Dreifaltigkeit
("MOST Holy Trinity," for the pedants out there).

That church with its staunch German-American Catholic parishioners,
back in the day,
included the founders of an ensemble
which in time became the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The acoustics in the sanctuary were remarkable
and the parish's music ministry was, also.

When the Archdiocese of Boston started shutting down parishes in the hundreds,
this parish fought tooth and nail to stay open.
The politics of it had layers, some of them very grimy.
This parish was not touched directly by abuse,
as the pastors were not abusers and were not accused.

But the parish's South End location is such desirable real estate ...
that there were those looking for any excuse to get their hot little hands
on the property, and to that end,
to get the parish shut down.

It worked.
I attended the final Sunday Mass there, with a defiant choir in full voice, and the music director playing the pipe organ for the last time.

Today it is condominiums.

Here's what the developer architects have to say for themselves.

This link may not work --
the above apologia by the architects was in response
to this Boston Globe editorial.

Subject: RE: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 10:24 PM

If the publishers think they can defend a copyright on the tune, which is a simple rhythmic diddling of When Johnny Comes Marching Home, I have some waterfront property in Arizona they might be interested in. PSHAW!

Subject: RE: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: Holly Tannen
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 08:59 PM

Thanks, Andreas, Barry, andJoe!

I thought I had tried the database - I do know how to use it - but I must've done something wrong, as I couldn't pull up either Yuppies or Ghost Riders. I've made up a lovely song about the Belgian anarchists who got Bill Gates with the cream pies. To the tune of Ghost Riders, it is called "Anarchists with a Pie." I wrote the copyright holders for permission, and just got a letter denying me permission to use the tune. But there are already four parodies of Ghost Riders in the database...I guess I need a copyright lawyer.

Best wishes,

Holly

Subject: RE: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: Barry Finn
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 08:54 PM

Hi Holly, didn't look to notice the original poster's name. It's been a good while since you dropped by. Do stay onboard, even if it's only to say hi, you really should stay a while. It's a pleasure to have contributed to a thread posted by you, seeing that's it you who's been helping people to songs offline for so long. Just a note of acknowledgment for what you've been doing for others in the folk world. Barry

Subject: RE: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: Barry Finn
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 08:09 PM

Joe, don't know, I think he spent some time here, maybe he went to school here back in the Harvard Square folk days, he does come around quite often though. Barry

Subject: RE: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 07:54 PM

Thanks, Barry - I wondered where that song was set. So, does that mean Paxton lives in the Boston area?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: Barry Finn
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 07:28 PM

Columbus Ave., depending on which way your headed, starts a was once called Egleston Square in the Roxbury edge of Jamaica Plain (see Charley on the MTA thread) & heads through the Mission Hill (once home to me) section of Roxbury through the South End & ends on the fringes of what once was the Combat Zone. I'm guessing it's about 6 or so miles, of no man's land. Around 25 years ago developers started moving out undesireables & charging high rents, it became a haven for the upscale yuppies in the sky. Barry

Subject: RE: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 04:49 AM

Hi, Holly - Click Here. Next time, try the search box in the upper-right corner of most pages here. So far, we have only the one song that has the word "yuppies" in it. Peter, Paul and Mary did a rather nice recording of the song, by the way.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: AndreasW
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 04:48 AM

It's in the database, search for "yuppies"
cu
Andreas

Subject: Lyrics sought: Yuppies in the Sky
From: Holly Tannen
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 03:39 AM

Can anyone post the lyrics to Tom Paxton's "Yuppies in the Sky"? I would be mos grateful!

Thanks,

Holly