Down by the Water The Decemberists
Song: "Down By The Water"
Artist: The Decemberists
Album: The King Is Dead (Down By The Water Release)-2010/2011
Transcribed by Chris Parker
~~
So, this song was just released for download today by The Decemberists
themselves, and it blew me away. I've listened to it now a total of three
times (about to be four to double-check the lyrics).
It just now occurred to me it would be a lot of fun to learn, so I picked up
my classical and went at it. It's in Em, and the chords you're going to
want to grab are here (God, being in music school and majoring in jazz has
made me hate tab... here they are in not-tab and relative chord fingering
to make me feel better)
Em |0-2-2-0-0-0|
G |3-2-0-0-0-3|
D |x-x-0-2-3-2| or D/F# |2-x-0-2-3-2| C |x-3-2-0-1-0| or C/G |3-3-2-0-1-0|
The inverted chords are to taste. They fit (obviously) within the song's
progression, and you can add them if you want to. I play the F# in the D
major chord (really it's just a triad with doubled notes) with my thumb.
I'm taking the lyrics from the unregistered chord sheet on this site for
ease of use, but I'm changing the chords since, well, they were wrong. (Note
on the intro, I made it like a lead sheet you'd see in a jazz band: The
upward line is a bar line, the slashes are the same chords based on
rhythm/spacing. The Em is played in the same rhythm as the chords before it,
but the D major chord is played as two staccato quarter notes; you'll hear
it in the song)
Lines in parentheses are words I can't quite make out.
~~~~~~~~~
INTRO
C | Em | C | Em / D / |
VERSE
[Em]See this ancient [G]riverbed
[D]See where all the [C]follies led
[Em]Down by the water, (and) d[D]own by the old main[Em] drag
[Em]I was just some[G] towhead teen
[D]Feelin' 'round for finge[C]rs to get in-between
[Em]Down by the water, do[D]wn by the old main[Em] drag
PRECHORUS
[Em]The season [D]rubs me [Em]wrong
[Em]The summer[D] swells[C] anon
CHORUS
[Em]So knock me down,[G] tear me up
[D]But I would bear it all broken just[C] to fill my cup
[Em]Down by the water and[D] down by the old m[Em]ain drag
BREAK
C | Em | C | Em / D / |
VERSE
[Em](Sweet to send this[G] reveler 'round)
the [D]pretty little patter of[C] a seaport town
[Em]Rolling in the water and r[D]olling down the old mai[Em]n drag
[Em]All dolled up in[G] gabardine
[D]The last flashing (lead) to a[C]ppear nineteen
[Em]Queen of the water and[D] queen of the old m[Em]ain drag
PRECHORUS
[Em]The season[D] rubs me [Em]wrong
[Em]The summer[D] swells[C] anon
CHORUS
[Em]So knock me down,[G] tear me up
[D]But I would bear it all broken just[C] to fill my cup
[Em]Down by the water and[D] down by the old m[Em]ain drag
BREAK/SOLOS
C | Em | C | Em D |
C | Em | C | Em / D / |
PRECHORUS
[Em]The season[D] rubs me [Em]wrong
[Em]The summer[D] swells[C] anon
CHORUS
[Em]So knock me down,[G] tear me up
[D]But I would bear it all broken just[C] to fill my cup
[Em]Down by the water and[D] down by the old m[Em]ain drag
OUTRO/CODA
[Em]Down by the water and[D] down by the old m[Em]ain drag
[Em]Down by the water and[D] down by the old m[Em]ain drag
(There's a ritardando in the last line, you'll hear it)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that's their latest song!
Like I said, totally blew me away, hope you guys have fun with it.
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