Down By The Water by 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 G See this ancient riverbed D C See where all the follies led Em D Em Down by the water, (and) down by the old main drag Em G I was just some towhead teen D C Feelin' 'round for fingers to get in-between Em D Em Down by the water, down by the old main drag PRECHORUS Em D Em The season rubs me wrong Em D C The summer swells anon CHORUS Em G So knock me down, tear me up D C But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup Em D Em Down by the water and down by the old main drag BREAK C | Em | C | Em / D / | VERSE Em G (Sweet to send this reveler 'round) D C the pretty little patter of a seaport town Em D Em Rolling in the water and rolling down the old main drag Em G All dolled up in gabardine D C The last flashing (lead) to appear nineteen Em D Em Queen of the water and queen of the old main drag PRECHORUS Em D Em The season rubs me wrong Em D C The summer swells anon CHORUS Em G So knock me down, tear me up D C But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup Em D Em Down by the water and down by the old main drag BREAK/SOLOS C | Em | C | Em D | Em | G | D | C | Em | D PRECHORUS Em D Em The season rubs me wrong Em D C The summer swells anon CHORUS Em G So knock me down, tear me up D C But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup Em D Em Down by the water and down by the old main drag OUTRO/CODA Em D Em Down by the water and down by the old main drag Em D Em Down by the water and down by the old main 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. www.TAB6.com