The song line you refer to is in "The Sidewalks of New York."
The Sidewalks of New York : Music: Charles B. Lawlor, Lyrics: James W. Blake 
, Publisher: Howley, Haviland & Company Copyright: 1894  (I have seen a 
sheet music cover with this date; it could even have been published earlier 
in another version as frequently happened.)

This 1894 song is one of New York’s most popular. It used as the campaign 
song for Alfred E. Smith, Democratic nominee for President in the 1924 
campaign. It was first introduced at the Old London Theater in the Bowery of 
New York City by Lottie Gilson, a popular singer of the times. Her use of 
the song established the publisher as a major player in the music business. 
(The words to the tune were written by James Blake, a salesman in a hatter's 
shop at the time, who liked to write verses, so perhaps it is not surprising 
he used slang terms.)

The lyrics, written in the 1890's are nostalgic for an earlier time in New 
York, perhaps the 1870's.  There were no subways in 1894 when the song came 
out (first one was 1904) so it could not have anything to do with subways, 
and certainly not the current "G" train which serves Queens and Brooklyn. 
The existing trains were the Els, but they were generally referred to by 
their streets, such as the Second Avenue train line because they only ran 
straight up one avenue of Manhattan.

"Things have changed since those times, some are up in “G”
Others they are wand’rers but they all feel just like me "...  is one 
version of the context of the up in "G" but  another says "Some are up in 
"G", some are on the hog," which I believe would be a good thing such as "in 
clover" would be. Therefore they ones who are up in G could have moved on to 
a better place, such as Gramercy Park as someone else suggested, or 
conversely they could be worse off, such as in prison? Perhaps the term 
referred to a jail of the time?

An interesting question. Thanks for the thinking exercise.













>From: [log in to unmask]
>Reply-To: "A LISTSERV list for discussions pertaining to New York State     
>          history." <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: "Sidewalks of New York"
>Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 18:10:54 EST
>
>I've heard the "G" mentioned in 2 ways.  The first was a reference to  
>Uptown
>as in "Gramercy Park" and the  other was "Grande's" Was  a sophisticated 
>nite
>club uptown.