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.

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