Tribute to yip harburg. The man who put the rainbow in the wizard of oz democracy now special. All that and more coming up. Now me to democracy i am amy goodman. Today, we pay tribute to yip harburg. His name may not be familiar to many, but his songs are sung by millions around the world, like jazz singer Abbey Lincoln and bing crosby sang it. Railroad, made a race against time. I built a railroad, now it is done amy goodman and tom waits. Judy collins, and dr. John from new orleans, peter yarrow,. They called meow al amy goodman thats al jolson, and our beloved odetta. Dime . An you spare a dime . Spare a amy goodman brother, can you spare a dime . May well be a new anthem for many americans. The lyrics to that classic american song were written by yip harburg. He was blacklisted during the mccarthy era. During his career as a lyricist, yip harburg used his words to express antiracist, proworker messages. Hes best known for writing the lyrics to the wizard of oz, but he also had two