The phrase you’re quoting comes from the song “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel.
Origin of the line
In the song’s chorus, the lyric goes “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?”, referring to the famous New York Yankees baseball star Joe DiMaggio as a symbol of a lost, more idealized America. Joe DiMaggio was a Hall of Fame center fielder whose career and public image came to represent grace, excellence, and an older set of values in U.S. culture.
What it means in context
Songwriter Paul Simon later explained that the line was less about DiMaggio personally and more about the idea of a heroic, dignified public figure that seemed to be missing from contemporary life. When DiMaggio himself wondered why the song asked where he had gone, Simon clarified that the lyric meant people felt the kind of quiet heroism DiMaggio represented had “gone” from American public life, even though DiMaggio was still very much around.
