Downeaster Alexa
Words & Music By Billy Joel
Arranged for Single Acoustic Guitar
Note: Arrangements for this transcription were made several ways, over the course of the
few years. First and foremost by listening to all the different recordings of the song
I could locate, secondly using notes from existing tablature and chord progression
Forth, observing various covers of the song through video links online (youtube and
forth). The end result is this document, which I believe to be the very best
of the song for a single acoustic guitar that exists for “Downeaster Alexa”.
*See below for the back-story of this song. You shouldn’t sing it unless you know what
singing about!
Chords Used:
Am7add11
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
of an old Downeaster fishing vessel. This is also played once very quickly after the
line of each verse as noted below.
– Am7add11 – -
– Am7add11 – –
– Am7add11 –
Am7add11
Well I'm on the Downeaster Alexa
And I'm cruising through Block Island Sound
I have chartered a course to the Vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound
We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday
And left this morning from the bell in Gardiner's Bay
Like all the locals here I've had to sell my home
Too proud to leave, I worked my fingers to the bone
Am7add11
So I could own my Downeaster Alexa
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can't fall asleep
I got bills to pay and children who need clothes
I know there's fish out there but where, God only knows
They say these waters aren't what they used to be
But I've got people back on land who count on me
Am7add11
So when you see my Downeaster Alexa
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel
Break: Am7add11 Am7add11
Am7add11
Am7add11
Am7add11
Now I drive my Downeaster Alexa
More and more miles from shore every year
Since they told me I can't sell no stripers
And there's no luck in sword fishing here
I was a bay man like my father was before
Can't make a living as a bay man anymore
There ain’t much future for a man who works the sea
There ain't no island left for islanders like me
Am7add11
Ya, ya, ya yo
Am7add11
Ya, ya, ya yo
Am7add11
Ya, ya, ya yo
Am7add11
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
working on a Downeaster fishing vessel called the “Alexa”. There is an actual fishing
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
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 and near
and of course the actual Block Island), the Vineyard refers to Martha’s Vineyard, an
that is much like the Hamptons, once predominantly a fishing village is now quite
and used primarily as a summer resort for those who can afford it. Nantucket Island, a fairly
island off of Massachusetts is similar in back story to Martha’s Vineyard.
Montauk is the eastern most point of Long Island and often associated with the famous
Many fishing vessels port in Montauk and the surrounding areas. Prior to the wealthy
the Hamptons, the whole south fork used to be a working class cluster of fishing
This is also relatively near Gardiner’s Bay, which is one of the bodies of water that
the north and south forks of Long Island.
There is a single political point to the song that is delivered using two primary
The point is that making a living as a mariner is becoming a lot harder as the fish become
Hence the line “there’s no luck in sword fishing here”. The second example is the use
the word “islander”.
Islander: In the line “there ain’t no island left for islanders like me” – Joel isn’t
about a specific island and it would be foolish to think that he’s specifically talking
all of Long Island. A great majority of America’s North Eastern fishing industry is
up of families living on islands all up the coast, from New York to Maine. In fact, the
of Maine is often referred to as “down east” and inspired the term “Downeaster”. Down
is often used in travel magazines and in everyday lingo that refer to the coast of Maine.
From the Cranberry Isles to the islands of Casco Bay, all the way down to Cape Cod and
Vineyard, nearly every working resident of these communities can relate to the
because this song was in fact written about ALL of them. The line “there ain’t no
left for islanders like me” also refers to the “Hamptonization” of these islands and that
becoming tougher for fishermen to make their living on the water for the reason that
can’t afford to be on the waterfront with the wealthy moving into these areas.
Like all musical pieces, meanings can be interpreted any which way you relate to it. I
up in a small fishing community in Maine and am well versed in geography, the north east
industries and based on my knowledge of the world in which this song is set, this is the
accurate translation I have been able to come up with. Suffice to say, I’m sure
Joel has a far more personal back story than any of us could ever relate.