Downeaster Alexa Words & Music By Billy Joel Arranged for Single Acoustic Guitar Transcribed by Eric Norcross Note: Arrangements for this transcription were made several ways, over the course of the past few years. First and foremost by listening to all the different recordings of the song I could locate, including covers. Secondly using notes from existing tabs and chord progressions. The end result is this document, which I believe to be an incredibly accurate representation of the song for a single acoustic guitar. *See below for the back-story of this song. You shouldn’t sing it unless you know what singing about! Chords Used: Am Am7add11 G F E ---------0---|---------0----------|---3---|---1---|------|-------| B ---------1---|---------1----------|---3---|---1---|------|-------| G ---------2---|---------0----------|---0---|---2---|------|-------| D ---------2---|---------0----------|---0---|---3---|------|-------| A ---------0---|---------0----------|---2---|---3---|------|-------| E ---------0---|---------x----------|---3---|---1---|------|--------| Intro: The intro is the main part of the song that simulates waves crashing against the hull of an old Downeaster fishing trawler. This is also played once very quickly after the line of each verse as noted below. Am – Am7add11 – Am - G Am – Am7add11 – Am – G Am – Am7add11 – Am C G Am Am7add11 Am Well I'm on the Downeaster Alexa

And I'm ^Ccruising through ^GBlock Island So^Fund I have ^Fchartered a ^Ccourse to the Vin^Dmeyard But tonig^Cht I am ^GNantucket bound^F

We took on ^Gdiesel back in ^CMontauk yesterday^F And left this ^Gmorning from the be^Amll in Gardiner's Bay^G ^F Like all the l^Gocals here I've ^Chad to sell ^Fmy home Too proud to ^Gleave, I worked my ^Amfingers to the bon^Ge

C G Am Am7add11 Am So I could own my Downeaster Alexa

And I go^C where the ocean ^Gis deep ^F There a^Fre giants ou^Ct there in the ca^Dmnyons And a goo^Cd captai^Gn can't fall as^Fleep

I got bills^G to pay and chi^Cldren who need cl^Fothes I know there's^G fish out there but^Am where, God only kno^Gws ^F They say these^G waters aren't w^Chat they use^Fd to be But I've got ^Gpeople back on l^Amand who count on ^Gme

C G Am Am7add11 Am So when you see my Downeaster Alexa

And if you ^Cwork with the r^God and the r^Feel Tell my^F wife I am t^Crolling At^Dmlantis And I st^Cill have my h^Gands on the ^Fwheel

Break: Am Am7add11 Am G Am Am7add11 Am G Em Am Am7add11 Am G Am Am7add11 Am C G Am Am7add11 Am Now I drive my Downeaster Alexa

More and^C more miles from ^Gshore every yea^Fr Since t^Fhey told me ^CI can't sell no s^Dmtripers And there's n^Co luck in s^Gword fishing h^Fere

I was a bay^G man like my fa^Cther was ^Fbefore Can't make ^Ga living as a b^Amay man anym^Gore ^F There ain’t much ^Gfuture for a ^Cman who works^F the sea There ain't n^Go island left for i^Amslanders like me ^G

C G Am Am7add11 Am Ya, ya, ya yo C G Am Am7add11 Am Ya, ya, ya yo C G Am Am7add11 Am Ya, ya, ya yo C G Am Am7add11 Am Ya, ya, ya yo End it with: Am Am7add11 Am ==Song Facts== Downeaster Alexa: In the first verse of the song, Billy Joel establishes that he’s a fisherman working on a Downeaster fishing vessel called the “Alexa”. There is an actual fishing boat berthed along the coast of Maine called the Alexa (note: Maine’s coast is often referred as “Down East”.) Block Island Sound, Vineyard, Nantucket: The song is written for the mariners working in the North Eastern United States, and so many of the geographical places are mentioned. Block Island Sound (a nautical passage way off of Long Island’s East End. The Vineyard refers to Martha’s Vineyard. Nantucket is Nantucket Island. Montauk is the eastern most point of Long Island and often associated with the famous Montauk Point Lighthouse. Gardiner's Bay is a part of the Atlantic that lies between the north and south forks. Prior to the influx of the rich, the whole south fork of Long Island used to be a working class cluster of fishing villages. There is a single political point to the song: making a living as a mariner is becoming a lot harder as the rich take over coastal properties and the seas become more and more over-fished. This is an escalating problem for maritime workers: less product to fish, rising cost of ocean front land to have a port.