More Money For You And Me
The Four Preps Lyrics


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First we have the Fleetwoods, a very successful group
Let's send them to Alaska to entertain our troops
When they start in a-singin' and puttin' on their show
The temperature around them will be forty-five below

Wo-wo-wo, I'm Mister Blue, when I say I'm freezin'
Just turn around, head for the warmth of town
I'm freezin' through and through
Call me Mister Blue

Next the Hollywood Argyles, a mighty nice group of kids
We'd like to send them roving on a downhill pair of skids

There's a group that we heard of that's-a awful hip
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
We'd kinda like to send them on a little trip
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
Where they oughta go we cannot tell
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
But it's awful hot, and it rhymes with swell
California?

And while they're down there working, they won't be all alone
They'll run into another group that's even hot back home

They asked me how I knew
Our career was through
Oh, woah, I of course reply
Something here inside
Cannot be denied
Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-wah
Smoke gets in your... eyes...

Next we have the Freshmen
A group that rates a cheer
Of course, they've been Four Freshmen
For almost twenty years
It isn't that they're stupid
Well, a little may be so
They can't afford to graduate
They're making too much dough

In this whole wide world
Is there nowhere to send them?
Is there no one place
We can tell them to go?

Sailing, sailing, over the water blue
Hail to the Kingston Trio, Cuba's calling you-ou-ou-ou...

It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
I'm-a worried now, but I won't be worried long

We got the Kingston Trio some work on Cuba's shores
They hung around Havana to do a few encores
Castro said 'I like 'em. Let's hang 'em up some more.'
Now he has all three hangin' permanently

Hang down the Kingston Trio
Hang 'em from a tall oak tree
Eliminate the Kingston Trio
More money for you and me

Dion and the Belmonts are driving us to tears
Let's send them up the river for about a thousand years
While the kids are watching Dion singing about the stars
The Belmonts are out in the parking lot stealing hubcaps off of cars

Each time I steal a hubcap it almost breaks my heart
Why do I steal hubcaps, why did I have to start?
Each night I ask the stars without fail
Why must I be a teenager in jail?





Where these groups all come from, we really do not know
But if they ever ask us we will tell them where to go!

Overall Meaning

The Four Preps's song "More Money for You and Me" is a humorous take on the music industry and its commercialization. The lyrics center around various popular music groups of the time and their fictional misadventures. The song starts off with the Fleetwoods, a successful group, being sent to entertain the troops in Alaska where they will freeze in the forty-five-degree below zero temperatures. The Hollywood Argyles are imagined as a group of kids sent on a dangerous trip down a hill on skis, while the group Alley Oop is sent to California, a place that's both hot and rhymes with "swell."


The song is also a commentary on the music industry's need for fresh talent and the struggles that come with outstaying one's welcome. The Four Freshmen are portrayed as stuck in their careers for almost twenty years and unable to graduate due to their financial success. The Kingston Trio is sent to Cuba and then hanged by Castro, and Dion and the Belmonts are sent to jail for stealing hubcaps. The closing lines of the song suggest that the groups are from unknown places, and if they ever ask where to go, they will be told.


Overall, "More Money for You and Me" is a witty, tongue-in-cheek song that pokes fun at the commercialization of the music industry and the disposable nature of pop music.


Line by Line Meaning

First we have the Fleetwoods, a very successful group
The Fleetwoods are famous in the music industry, so let's utilize their fame to entertain our troops in Alaska.


When they start in a-singin' and puttin' on their show The temperature around them will be forty-five below
Once the Fleetwoods arrive in Alaska to entertain the troops, it will be very cold, around 45 degrees below zero.


Next the Hollywood Argyles, a mighty nice group of kids We'd like to send them roving on a downhill pair of skids
Next, let's send the Hollywood Argyles, who we think are cool kids, on a skiing trip down a slope.


There's a group that we heard of that's-a awful hip Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop We'd kinda like to send them on a little trip Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop Where they oughta go we cannot tell Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop But it's awful hot, and it rhymes with swell California?
There is a very popular and stylish group we heard of called The Alley Oop's. We think they would go splendidly on a trip somewhere that we can't name, but it should be hot and rhymes with swell, maybe California?


And while they're down there working, they won't be all alone They'll run into another group that's even hot back home
While in California, The Alley Oop's will meet another famous group from their home state who are just as popular as they are.


They asked me how I knew Our career was through Oh, woah, I of course reply Something here inside Cannot be denied Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-wah Smoke gets in your... eyes...
Our music career is over, but we really don't know why. We're saddened by it, but it's just a fact that we have to accept. It's like smoke getting in your eyes, you can't escape it.


Next we have the Freshmen A group that rates a cheer Of course, they've been Four Freshmen For almost twenty years
Now, let's move on to the group, The Freshmen, who have been famous for almost 20 years.


It isn't that they're stupid Well, a little may be so They can't afford to graduate They're making too much dough
It's not that The Freshmen are unintelligent, it's just that they're too successful and making too much money that they cannot afford to finish their education.


In this whole wide world Is there nowhere to send them? Is there no one place We can tell them to go?
We're out of ideas of where to send The Freshmen, is there no one or no place that could benefit from them?


Sailing, sailing, over the water blue Hail to the Kingston Trio, Cuba's calling you-ou-ou-ou...
Let's send the Kingston Trio, who we admire, to Cuba to perform for the locals.


It takes a worried man to sing a worried song It takes a worried man to sing a worried song It takes a worried man to sing a worried song I'm-a worried now, but I won't be worried long
This verse repeats the phrase ‘It takes a worried man to sing a worried song’, emphasizing that sometimes you have to experience stress or worry to create something meaningful. Although they may be anxious, they will eventually overcome it.


We got the Kingston Trio some work on Cuba's shores They hung around Havana to do a few encores Castro said 'I like 'em. Let's hang 'em up some more.' Now he has all three hangin' permanently
The Kingston Trio performed many successful encores while in Havana, but Fidel Castro liked them so much that he had them imprisoned and later executed by hanging.


Dion and the Belmonts are driving us to tears Let's send them up the river for about a thousand years
The music from Dion and the Belmonts is making us miserable, so let's send them to prison for a very long time.


While the kids are watching Dion singing about the stars The Belmonts are out in the parking lot stealing hubcaps off of cars
While Dion is on stage entertaining the audience about the stars, the rest of the group is stealing hubcaps in the parking lot.


Each time I steal a hubcap it almost breaks my heart Why do I steal hubcaps, why did I have to start? Each night I ask the stars without fail Why must I be a teenager in jail?
The Belmonts, who have been stealing hubcaps, are heartbroken by their actions and wish they weren't stuck in prison. They keep asking themselves why they ever started stealing hubcaps.


Where these groups all come from, we really do not know But if they ever ask us we will tell them where to go!
It's unclear where all these groups are from, but we don't really care. However, if they ever ask us where they should go, we'll have plenty of ideas for them.




Writer(s): the four preps

Contributed by Jordan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@washingtondcidiots3917

I'm 61 and my father is long gone but I can still remember listening to this with him as a very young man.

@megat787

I watched them live at Georgia Tech in 1062 awesome show

@rolo1955

This must of been daring back in 1961!

@byronsmith5314

Listening in July 2020. So glad to be able to find old songs that I remember from my youth. Thanks!!

@johnthring3437

❤I'm 75 on 23rd December it was the first 45 record i ever bought

@dodgelandesman9473

This song was ahead of its time. The Four Preps are artistic pioneers. One of the early mashup songs

@musicmandon1

This is totally freaking brilliant. They sounded just like the groups they were making sport of, and that takes amazing talent. I hope the groups involved saw the humor there, particularly the Kingston Trio who I think quite highly of. Somehow I wonder if Dion and his bunch of tough Jersey boys wanted to kick a little Prep booty.

@cmf1965

DION & THE BELMONTS WERE FROM THE BRONX, NEW YORK... In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts' single, "A Teenager in Love", broke the Top Ten, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart.Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, it's considered one of the greatest songs in rock and roll history. Dion Francis DiMucci is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...sadly, The Belmonts are not... :(

@Adam-lj7et

Way back when the Earth was cooling, as a student at UCLA I saw this concert. It was great.

@scottuehlinger7887

Altho I am a big fan of this period of music..I NEVER have heard of this song before today.....heard it on Sirius XM and LOVED it. Happy to find it here!

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