‘When I’m Back in Poughkeepsie’ Meme Puts City on Map

A short lyric of just nine words is taking the internet by storm and turning the spotlight on Poughkeepsie, New York.

If you've found yourself mindlessly scrolling on TikTok you may have come across some things that are both amusing and confusing at the same time. Take the young man named Sketch who points to the sky and exclaims "What's up brother?". Kids all over the Hudson Valley can be seen mimicking the online gamer's voice and greeting each other with his viral catchphrase. Anyone over the age of 14 probably has no idea what any of this means.

Then there are the TikToks aimed at older viewers. One of the more popular ones right now is a woman staring into the camera urging creators to "say the weird thing". The clip is followed by people making unpopular observations about life, some of which can be humorous and others feature some deep thoughts.

Poughkeepsie TikTok Meme Explained

If you're TikTok algorithm knows that you're from the Poughkeepsie area, you've most likely stumbled across a series of videos that has people lip-syncing a soulful song with the lyrics "And when I'm back in Poughkeepsie I feel it".

Some people are playing the audio track over images of the city, while others are lipsyncing it while standing in their own favorite corner of Poughkeepsie.

It turns out that the original video was posted by a Marist student last month. The TikTok creator who goes by the name m00bie belted out the tune while standing on a porch roof on an unidentified Pougkeepsie street.

The song appears to be a spontaneous parody of a real song titled End of Beginning by Djo. Djo is the musical pseudonym of actor Joe Keery who is best known for playing Steve Harrington in Stranger Things.

The song features a chorus with the lyrics "And when I'm back in Chicago I feel it." Thanks to M00bie, the borrowed melody has quicklly become the unofficial Poughkeepsie anthem.

The Marist student's TikTok currently has over 2.3 million likes and 10,000 comments from viewers, most of whom have shared thoughts and memories that describe their love of Poughkeepsie.

The audio from m00bie's video has also become a popular way for people to showcase their own Poughkeepsie videos, playing the acapella lyrics under footage of local sights.

Have you seen the "When I'm Back in Poughkeepsie" meme on TikTok? You can share your favorites with us by posting them on our Facebook page or by sending them through a text on our free mobile app.

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