Meaning of the legendary Village People song “YMCA” [Young Male Christian Association]. A band made up of gay comic book characters, a song whose lyrics the whole world knows and the many meanings of its lyrics.
“Y.M.C.A.” is a song by the American band Village People. It was released in 1978. The song held number two on all the music charts in early 1979 in the United States and the United Kingdom. The song became the band’s most popular and paid hit.
The meaning of the song Y.M.C.A. By Village People
So why, then, was the legendary song disgusted by American hetero youth and became a gay anthem! After all, it’s a harmless message where a construction worker, biker, Cuban rebel, cowboy, Indian and cop encourage misguided American youth to join the American Young Men’s Christian Association and fold their hands in the letters YMCA, so what’s suspicious about that?
Let’s break it down:
Young Man
There’s no reason to be sad.
I say, young man
Gather round
I say, young man
Just because you’re in a strange city
There’s no reason to be sad
– So, the storyline of the song is simple: a young man in the street of a big city and a man trying to convince him that everything is not so bad and there is a way out.
The young man
There’s a place you could come to.
I say, young man
So there’s no trace of sadness left
Stay with us
And I’m sure you’ll find
Lots of fun
– If a builder, a Cuban rebel, a cowboy, an Indian, a biker and a cop call the hero to go somewhere where they will find “lots of fun”, the hero should at least wonder if it is the kind of fun he “could only dream of”. And whether this is entertainment at all.
This promise is followed by a chorus, and, yes, it turns out that it is none other than the American Young Men’s Christian Association.
What fun it is to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
It is unreal fun to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
They have everything that young men can only dream of.
And all the guys hang out together…
What fun it is to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
It’s unreal fun to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
There’s a place to wash up.
There’s something to eat
And you can do whatever you want to do.
Young man, are you listening to me?
I’m talking, young man.
I, we, our generation, want to know
Into whose hands will the building we’ve erected pass
I say, young man
There’s a way to make dreams come true
But get this through your head
Nobody
¶ No one will ever achieve anything on their own ¶
¶ I say, young man ¶
# Shove your pride away
And just come
To the American Young Men’s Christian Association
And I’m sure
¶¶ They’ll help you right away ¶¶
¶ They’ll help you today ¶
And everything seems good – and there is something to eat and something to wash, and there is something to do – but confused by one detail that is not noticeable at first glance. For the second time in the text slips an appeal – to collect your will into a fist, to shove his pride away. Obviously, we are talking about some kind of response from the hero, which is hinted at by a cowboy, an Indian, a Cuban rebel, a construction worker, a biker and a cop. Given the abundance of leather in the costumes of the proposers and the manner of their behavior, the details of the payback for all the benefits provided are self-evident.
That said, the song is still about the American Young Men’s Christian Association and is still sung by gay comic book characters.
Young man, trust me.
I’ve been in situations,
♪ I’ve been in situations like yours ♪
I’ve suffered
I’ve been through a lot
And no one seemed to be upset
If I were to die
And everything around me seemed so boring
Until one day
# Until one day someone came to see me
And said, “Young man.
Go for a walk
There’s a place out there
– # It’s called
The American Young Men’s Christian Association
Demonstrating the intergenerational continuity, in the finale a third character appears on the scene: someone named Somebody. Who once came to the narrator, who was in a near-suicidal state, and literally took him by the hand to the Association. And there, then still a young man, lost and lost, he was given food and scented soap and a Cuban rebel, construction worker, biker, cowboy, Indian, or cop costume.
What fun it is to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
It’s unreal fun to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
They have everything young men can only dream of.
And all the guys hang out together…
What fun it is to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
It’s unreal fun to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
You’ll have a place to wash up.
You’ll have something to eat
You’ll do just what your heart tells you to do!
Young man
There’s no reason to be sad
I say, young man
¶ get it together ¶
I say, young man
Just because you’re in a strange city
There’s no reason to be sad
– So, the storyline of the song is simple: a young man in the street of a big city and a man trying to convince him that everything is not so bad and there is a way out.
The young man
There’s a place you could come to.
I say, young man
So there’s no trace of sadness left
Stay with us
And I’m sure you’ll find
Lots of fun
– If a builder, a Cuban rebel, a cowboy, an Indian, a biker and a cop call the hero to go somewhere where they will find “lots of fun”, the hero should at least wonder if it is the kind of fun he “could only dream of”. And whether this is entertainment at all.
This promise is followed by a chorus, and, yes, it turns out that it is none other than the American Young Men’s Christian Association.
What fun it is to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
It is unreal fun to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
They have everything that young men can only dream of.
And all the guys hang out together…
What fun it is to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
It’s unreal fun to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
There’s a place to wash up.
There’s something to eat
And you can do whatever you want to do.
Young man, are you listening to me?
I’m talking, young man.
I, we, our generation, want to know
Into whose hands will the building we’ve erected pass
I say, young man
There’s a way to make dreams come true
But get this through your head
Nobody
¶ No one will ever achieve anything on their own ¶
¶ I say, young man ¶
# Shove your pride away
And just come
To the American Young Men’s Christian Association
And I’m sure
¶¶ They’ll help you right away ¶¶
¶ They’ll help you today ¶
And everything seems good – and there is something to eat and something to wash, and there is something to do – but confused by one detail that is not noticeable at first glance. For the second time in the text slips an appeal – to collect your will into a fist, to shove his pride away. Obviously, we are talking about some kind of response from the hero, which is hinted at by a cowboy, an Indian, a Cuban rebel, a construction worker, a biker and a cop. Given the abundance of leather in the costumes of the proposers and the manner of their behavior, the details of the payback for all the benefits provided are self-evident.
That said, the song is still about the American Young Men’s Christian Association and is still sung by gay comic book characters.
Young man, trust me.
I’ve been in situations,
♪ I’ve been in situations like yours ♪
I’ve suffered
I’ve been through a lot
And no one seemed to be upset
If I were to die
And everything around me seemed so boring
Until one day
# Until one day someone came to see me
And said, “Young man.
Go for a walk
There’s a place out there
– # It’s called
The American Young Men’s Christian Association
Demonstrating the intergenerational continuity, in the finale a third character appears on the scene: someone named Somebody. Who once came to the narrator, who was in a near-suicidal state, and literally took him by the hand to the Association. And there, then still a young man, lost and lost, he was given food and scented soap and a Cuban rebel, construction worker, biker, cowboy, Indian, or cop costume.
What fun it is to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
It’s unreal fun to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
They have everything young men can only dream of.
And all the guys hang out together…
What fun it is to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
It’s unreal fun to be a member of the American Young Men’s Christian Association!
You’ll have a place to wash up.
You’ll have something to eat
You’ll do just what your heart tells you to do!
Interesting facts!
In 2009, “Y.M.C.A.” made it into the Guinness Book of World Records when over 44,000 people danced to the song. Also, “YMCA” is number 7 on VH1’s list of the 100 greatest songs of the 20th century.
Even though the flashy stage costumes and ambiguous lyrics make the Y.M.C.A. song one of the BEST to this day!
Lyrics of Y.M.C.A. By Village People
Young man, there’s no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, ’cause you’re in a new town
There’s no need to be unhappy.
Young man, there’s a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you’re short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I’m sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys…
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel…
Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, what do you wanna be?
I said, young man, you can make real your dreams.
But you got to know this one thing!
No man does it all by himself.
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf,
And just go there, to the Y.M.C.A.
I’m sure they can help you today.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys…
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel…
Young man, I was once in your shoes.
I said, I was down and out with the blues.
I felt no man cared if I were alive.
I felt the whole world was so jive…
That’s when someone came up to me,
And said, “Young man, take a walk up the street.
There’s a place there called the ‘Y.M.C.A.’
They can start you back on your way.”
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys…
Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
Young man, young man, there’s no need to feel down.
Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground.
Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
Young man, are you listening to me?
Young man, young man, what do you wanna be?
Y.M.C.A.
You’ll find it at the Y.M.C.A.
No man, young man, does it all by himself.
Young man, young man, put your pride on the shelf,
Y.M.C.A.
And just go to the Y.M.C.A.
Young man, young man, I was once in your shoes.
Young man, young man, I was down with the blues.
Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
Y.M.C.A. By Village People Lyrics Alternate
Boy, what’s the matter with you? Don’t be sad!
Hey, boy, get up off the ground!
You’re in a new town, young man,
Where there’s no reason to be sad!
Boy, come on in here,
Hey you, young man, there’s no trace of sadness,
Stay there, and then you’ll find
¶ it’s time to have some fun ¶
¶ ‘Cause it’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A. ¶
¶ It’s fun to stay at Y.M.C.A. with us ¶
They have everything for young men to enjoy
♪ It’s fun to stay at the M.H.O.’s ♪
Cause it’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
¶ It’s fun to live at Y.M.C.A. with us ¶
# And they’ll wash you and they’ll feed you
You can do whatever you feel, we’re your family
Young man, can’t you hear me?
Hey you, young man, the choice is yours!
Come on, young man, you can make your dreams come true!
But you’ve got to know this one thing
No man does it all by himself
Clench your pride in your fist, young man
Go straight to the Y.M.C.A,
¶¶ There’s always someone there for you ¶¶
¶ ‘Cause it’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A. with us ¶
¶ It’s fun to stay at Y.M.C.A. with us ¶
They have everything for young men to enjoy
♪ It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.’s ♪
Cause it’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
¶ It’s fun to live at Y.M.C.A. with us ¶
# And they’ll wash you and they’ll feed you
You can do whatever you feel, we’re your family
Boy, I was exactly like that
Like you, my brother, sad and no man
I felt no one cared if I was alive.
And the whole world was a lie.
The two guys came running up to me,
Shouting, “Hey, you! Come on up quick!
Let’s go together and look in the Y.M.C.A.
They’ll keep you alive!”
.
It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
¶ It’s fun to stay at Y.M.C.A. with us ¶
They have everything for young men to enjoy
There’s plenty of room here for the normal guys!
Y.M.C.A.
¶ ‘Cause it’s cool to live in the Y.M.C.A. with us ¶
Young man, young man, there’s no need to feel down Don’t be sad!
♪ Boy, boy, get up off the ground ♪
Y.M.C.A.
♪ ‘Cause it’s cool to live with us in Y.M.C.A. ♪
Boy, boy, I used to be just like that.
Only I was totally different….
