Yuppie Exodus From Dumbo, a Song by Jed Davis

Yuppie Exodus From Dumbo by Jed Davis

We’ve heard lots of artists priced out of the now gentrified Dumbo Brooklyn (Paul Raphaelson, for example). Occassionally we get stories in our inbox from those who are looking to find roomates or share studio space (such as this one at 10 Jay) because local artists are leaving Dumbo. (we love hearing from you but don’t like to hear you have to leave Dumbo.)

Jed Davis, a musician who formerly lived on Plymouth Street in Dumbo is one of those musicians who had to pack up and leave Dumbo for Albany, NY. He released a song called Yuppie Exodus From Dumbo. It’s got a catchy tune and the lyrics are smart and funny- even mentions J Condo, a certain pizza place with 2 hour lines, Etsy, and McSweeney’s and Grizzly Bear, both loved by hipsters. (lyrics are on Jed’s site, and also reposted below). [Ed note: That pizza place recently added a surcharge of $2 EXTRA for residents who pick up, so I’ve since banned them.]

We caught up with Jed who said that he was reluctant to leave Dumbo but the cost of living in the neighborhood was affecting him and friends around him. While packing up, he discovered that many of his neighbors were too, which inspired the song. Some of the vocals were recorded at his space in 135 Plymouth Street (can you hear the train going over the bridge in the background?) The song has been pressed in a signed and numbered edition of wax cylinders, which will never degrade, no matter how many times you play it on your family Edison. Give the song a listen, and if you like it, download the song for 99 cents. We hope Jed comes back and hope that your new digs in Albany doesn’t ‘gentrify you out’.

Lyrics to Yuppie Exodus From Dumbo:

Behold the bitter exodus
From down beneath the bridge
As the yuppies and the hipsters
Quit their lofts and move away
Snap an auto-focused black-and-white
Of this heartbreaking scene
A heartbreaking scene of staggering genius –
If I may.

And they sing:
Nevermore shall a bridge darken my door
We’re on craigslist searching for
Someplace new to gentrify
Till then, we can only hope
They’ve still got room down in the Slope
For the strollers we’ll be pushing by and by

Now my girlfriend’s typed her last
Paragraph for Conde Nast.
Who will pay her by the word
To holiday in Mexico?
And my next door neighbor cried
On the night his hedge fund died.
Anybody want a Ridgeback
Or a share in J Condo?

And we sing:
Nevermore shall a bridge darken my door
We’re on craigslist searching for
Someplace new to gentrify
Till then, we can only hope
They’ve still got room down in the Slope
For the strollers we’ll be pushing by and by

Oh Dumbo beach, we’ve run aground
No IT work to be found
No one buys my shit on Etsy
And my gal’s name still ain’t Plath
So we’re hopping on our Vespas
Loading up and hauling out
In our precious shawls and hats
We look totally Grapes of Wrath
YAY!

Nevermore shall a bridge darken my door
We’re on craigslist searching for
Someplace new to gentrify
Till then, we can only hope
They’ve still got room down in the Slope
For the strollers we’ll be pushing by and by

Goodbye McSweeney’s
Goodbye Grizzly Bear
Actually, we were just pretending
To like Grizzly Bear
But I’ll sure miss being an artist
I’ll sure miss being free
And I sure will miss my trust fund
And production company
Stroll the cobblestones reflecting
On these precious months we’ve spent
Down here at the intersection of This American Life and Rent

One day I will come back as a tourist
Take clever photos of the skyline
Juxtaposed with garbage trucks
I’ll line up for Brooklyn Ice Cream in the winter
And wait two hours in the rain
For a pizza pie that sucks

Then I’ll sing:
Nevermore shall a bridge darken my door
We’re on craigslist searching for
Someplace new to gentrify
Till then, we can only hope
They’ve still got room down in the Slope
For the strollers we’ll be pushing by and by
For the strollers we’ll be pushing by and by
For the strollers we’ll be pushing, bye-bye

credits:
from Yuppie Exodus From Dumbo, track released 15 June 2010
Words and music by Jed Davis
Published by Eschatonality/ASCAP

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