Billy Joel - The Downeaster 'Alexa' (Official HD Video)

In 1989, Billy Joel released his album Storm Front, a successful album that hit #1 on the Billboard 200 charts and went quadruple platinum. Watch the official HD music video for 'The Downeaster 'Alexa'', about the hard lives of Long Island fisherman.
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Lyrics:
Well I'm on the Downeaster Alexa
And I'm cruising through Block Island Sound
I have charted 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've worked my fingers to the bone
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
Billy Joel's official KZbin channel features music videos, live performances, interviews, TV appearances and more. Best known for his first hit song, 'Piano Man', in 1973, Billy has written and recorded thirty-three Top 40 hits in the United States. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner, a 23-time Grammy nominee and one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 150 million records worldwide. Billy Joel is the sixth-best-selling recording artist and the third-best-selling solo artist in the United States.

[@arminxvs3372]

The Hangover Part II - Thank you for leading me to this musical gem that somehow slipped my attention!

[@rranneberger]

Hangover Part II brought me here too! How the hell did I listen to Billy Joel for years and never heard this epic gem?!

[@arminxvs3372]

@@rranneberger Right? Some obvious things leave us speechless sometimes haha

[@nv2929]

@@rranneberger sacrilege!

[@EchKay97]

Me too

[@sk-eb3zw]

✋🏽

[@wicklash9065]

I come from a small town, on the coast of Nova Scotia. My father is a fisherman, my uncle , and my best friend is aswell. I unload the fish draggers and schlep the lobsters off the boats. This song gets my eyes watering almost everytime. Whenever you eat a lobster, or get fish and chips. Remember the men who sail the high seas, risking life and limb to get it. Have a good day everyone

[@timitonagain]

Thank you!

[@cluniliny]

Thank you

[@MeT2338]

A tough job for tough men and so dangerous... Best of luck to all of them.

[@cluniliny]

@@MeT2338 best of luck to us all. We sure need it.

[@Enonymouse_]

Some of my family members fished for a living, a few them died doing it.

[@gavinpayton8859]

the most underrated billy Joel song of all time and a personal favorite

[@nhaff13]

agreed!!

[@starsword-c2534]

Absolutely.

[@Melissa-dx5wl]

Without a doubt

[@joeykim3814]

Couldn't agree more!!

[@Vilhelm22]

Fully agree - I have it on vinyl as one of his best albums (Storm Front was released not long after after Greatest Hits Volumes I & II). A few on there are amazing and don’t have the same fame they should.

[@fishdogg31]

So for whatever reason your here in 2024 YOUR A FU*KING LEGEND 🙏

[@lululu793]

Praise be onto you

[@johnMCGOWAN-lb6ym]

Who’s Here In 2024 ????

[@venicebeachboss]

Me

[@nuntana2]

And me. amazing tune.

[@kreeves4755]

👋 Yass , still love this song years later 🎶❤

[@captaintomst]

I was looking at Zillow yesterday and looked up my parents old house out on the East End of Long Island play paid about 35,000 for it back in the early seventies and now it would cost me 2.8 million dollars to buy it back Billy Joel wasn't kidding when he said there's no room for locals anymore

[@brianbarry6909]

Captain Bbarry

[@measlyfurball37]

I remember when I was very little, my dad was cleaning out his music collection. I was playing in the room at the time, not paying much attention, when suddenly this songs drifts out of the stereo and immediately captures me. For years and years afterward, I would hear this beautiful, haunting melody in my dreams. But I could never find where it came from. At one point I was convinced that it didn't exist at all. Until one day, my mom finds a Billy Joel disc shuffled behind the rest of our CDs. We put it into the car, and "We Didn't Start the Fire" fades out, the next song plays. . . and I'm hit full force with this beautiful, longing, driving melody once more. Sheer awe and nostalgia flood through every part of me as I am captured by this song once more. All I could do was sit in stunned silence for the rest of the trip. I'm certain that no other song will ever give me such chills ever again. Edit: spelling.

[@vvmax4375]

This is an amazing and underrated comment. Great story

[@futureshock7425]

90's kids get this

[@ekdanta_homedecor]

This comment is so underrated

[@stephenbarringer235]

I had a smaller scale version of the same experience: shopping for the second time in a day for my family, tired and annoyed and footsore, I heard a song that brought tears to my eyes and couldn't name it except to think it was the Bee Gees. Spent the next few days trawling through tracks until finally I found it: it was "Alone". It's that surge of triumph and joy at finally finding the thing one was missing and unable to name.

[@inszti]

Wow. What a beautiful picture you just painted. Such a simple story, but captured and conveyed the emotion perfectly.

[@jannilexing6597]

Still hits hard in 2022...this song is a timeless masterpiece, a magical anthem of the sea

[@Nathan-jb4gd]

right here with you

[@jannilexing6597]

@@Nathan-jb4gd We have just returned from our vacation in the US a couple of days ago, we also visited beautiful Cape Cod and the east coast....this REALLY gave me Downeaster Alexa vibes (Nantucket is only a few miles off the Cape Cod peninsula)🥰

[@Shawn-mw6ip]

Masterpiece

[@kingofallwhites]

Gay

[@anupam4915]

Same feeling

[@blueangel7463]

Still brings tears to my eyes!!!🥲❤ Who else is coming through here in 2024?🎉❤️‍🔥

[@lawrencearnemann3923]

Me! I'm an islander. Billy use to live down the road from us in Huntington. As a little kid, I remember him coming by my father's hardware store . Didn't even realize who he was until I was older

[@margieguild519]

Lu a tuning- NSW, Australia

[@margieguild519]

Listening!!

[@SaiyanHeretic]

Another Islander here! Billy Joel was the soundtrack of my childhood, and this one is my all-time favorite of his, it really hits close to home.

[@allanstroud7693]

safa here, introduced my wife of 24 years to Billy Joel when we first met back in 94. She loves this song, her father was a fisherman and I am sure this song brings back good memories for her.

[@alexamcmellen2284]

you know...it's pretty cool knowing my dad named me after this song. I've always loved it and grew up to it

[@svenobermann-berger3482]

Alexa McMellen Be proud of it and take the name in your heart :) Its an nice name. Greets from germany (northern sea)

[@aceleone215]

..THAT'S SOOO COOL..!!👌👌☺

[@naveeny4111]

That's cool... Now I'll remember Yu when I hear this song!!! :) :D

[@fearnation99]

Bet you have trouble with Amazon devices now 🤣

[@zlodeyzlodeev8760]

твой отец молодец

[@slyfor2]

As an avid fisherman from Long Island, guys here dont know how much we owe Billy for the return of wildlife and the amazing fishing we have again. Im a Critical Care RN now but as a kid I worked as a mate on the party boats and charter boats from Captree and Montauk and lemme tell you how accurate this song was. You couldnt catch a cold out there. This song really helped draw attention to the dying waters of Long Island. Billy donated a lot of his earnings from this song to the East End fishermen and even was arrested with some of these fishermen at a protest out East.

[@williamkarbala5718]

Well he was an Oyster chucker for a time. Also shout out to fellow Long Islander.

[@slyfor2]

@@williamkarbala5718 ah i did not know that. LI represent. Tight lines and peace.

[@zg6766]

🌈Environment is the #1 worldwide priority... Neglected & life is moot☯️

[@ErikMello96]

Long Island represent! My dad and I used to dig for clams in the Great South Bay but for a while you could bare keep any!

[@powercityeatery264]

Ever go to Liars?

[@Bullzeye1000yds]

Land locked I am. From West Texas, born and raised. I heard this song for the first time, tonight. OUTSTANDING!!! These men do for fishing, what we do for working cattle. God Bless ya, men!

[@thepool7626]

Brings tears to me eyes every time. The weight of being a man that others count on.

[@patking8112]

Niece and Goddaughter of a Gulf Shrimper. We know your struggle and we have your back!! Fight the good fight!

[@VonRammsteyn]

...And everybody takes for granted... Nobody cares about your sacrifice. A man HAVE to provide. How that man feels is irrelevant.

[@bosesebi6685]

Let us hold hands for a minute.@@VonRammsteyn

[@samferrara1150]

My heart bleeds for you. Women carry a far greater weight and we don’t complain about it or seek approval from others 🙄

[@itsdabees]

Its actually about him sailing out to his death.

[@johnwalls7170]

Who's listening to this phenomenal classic in 2020?!!

[@somerandomguy6749]

Anyone with good taste lol.

[@johnwalls7170]

@@somerandomguy6749 hell right 🔥

[@ShyamKumar-kv5lf]

I'm listening, I actually searched for it. It's ASMR man, I feel electricity going down my spine.

[@kennethhorne7469]

A better question is who’s not??? Timeless classic...

[@johnwalls7170]

@@kennethhorne7469 well put my friend ✌️🇺🇸

[@TheInvisibleOne1026]

Going out to all the silent Dads out there, that spill their guts everyday quietly to feed their families without much left over.

[@AmyRosenkoetterJams]

Amen.

[@25242824]

Amy Rosenkoetter WTF get a grip it's just a song

[@missyf922]

Amen!

[@missyf922]

@@AmyRosenkoetterJams stfu.

[@stephanieconner4129]

Beautiful name

[@21Pescatore]

I'm also a Long Island fisherman, when I'm out fishing alone in the bay I blast this song, it gives me the chills.

[@williamst.george7363]

Thank you for the hard work and drive that truly keeps the true long Islanders alive

[@gabrielle-AV-n-PFloyd]

Thank you & love from Niantic Bay, CT.🍀🌹🎼

[@sumodvs17]

❤

[@patking8112]

Thank you, and your family, for your fight. My uncle, and Godfather, was a Gulf Shrimper. Not the same but still such a struggle

[@firstcar4297]

That’s fcking awesome 😎

[@Flamingpenguin88]

The classic struggle of a proud self-made working man.

[@chronicstitcher7933]

One of the greatest musicians ever.

[@sonnydortmund1513]

chronic Stitcher HERE

[@qtmagic300]

He started the fire

[@harveylee51]

@Sean Moynihan but did he ignite it? and are we still trying to fight it? 😅 this is such a moving song and video had this on one old VHS tape then to hear it gain new life here on KZbin 🤘good stuff and i'm the 5,100 th comment phewww enough of that Cheers mate!

[@katydalton4759]

@Dogzy I think he's tremendously talented, but so many critics pan him! This song in particular showcases his ability to write lyrics, melodies, to play piano and sing, and to do so brilliantly! I still got your back, Billy, and always will!

[@aandc2005]

I agree 100%

[@mrfish1991]

I will say this every day. This is one of the most under appreciated Billy Joel songs.

[@clamcake52]

It is actually the best song and the only one I like that he did, but that is a matter of taste! It has allot of soul and meaning to those who can identify with it!

[@seouldier1358]

I agree.

[@seouldier1358]

@@clamcake52 yes. My favorite from his catalogue.

[@johnhenderson2087]

Not by those that know. The intensity and power of Billy’s sentiments are almost tangible. Loved this the first time I heard it all those years, along with Leningrad. Stormfront is also one of the most underrated of his wonderful albums. What an artist and what a performer. The video of him playing live with Itzhak Perlman is unmissable

[@vanessamcallister4235]

Yes

[@ciarannugent9694]

Coming from a small fishing town on the Easter sea Front of Ireland Called Clogherhead being a fisherman myself this touches home

[@robd9712]

From someone who lives on Long Island and loves Long Island but can't stand the NY govt, this song is absolutely incredible!

[@kell2229]

As a Long Islander myself I completely agree

[@EverythingAlways]

good songs... are timeless.

[@bencooper6702]

Good ? Is that it

[@_neon-xeon_3966]

Oh hey, its the marvel guy

[@bencooper6702]

@@JohnJJ1221 what?

[@bencooper6702]

@@JohnJJ1221 yea ok

[@kcdubb84]

Timeless 2021 and I'm in love this song

[@TheInvisibleOne1026]

dad's just working hard and silently trying to feed their families.......the real silent heros

[@cristianviljevac3851]

A Working Class hero 💯💪🏻

[@justinlovell1767]

Im here cause my dad worked his finger to the bone, building his own home and had kids to feed, and he told me to listen to this song to understand his pain, but also his control.

[@johncostaiii9443]

Guy is the best song writer ever born. Hands down!!!!

[@pantera7107]

Why is this song so powerful? Man it's good

[@jbx1967]

It's so powerful because Mr. Joel is a true Master of his craft. One of the last of a dying breed...

[@michaelruzzi1205]

Powerful is a great word for this song! This song touches my soul! I am a schooled musician also, and this song still gives me goose bumps! The melody and lyrics are magical! Written and performed by a brilliant musician! (I met Billy Joel many years ago in the town I live in. It was summer time and he had his boat docked in Catskill at a marina. There is a night club on the river my band was playing at, at the time.

[@eteawinoren9333]

must be the strength of his vocals and how he glides from one key to the next. whatever the instruments are, they are absolutely fantastic. A delight from start to finish.

[@matthewharris8819]

I'm not a fisherman, but my fingers to the bone for my girls.

[@trumpneedstodiealongwithidiots]

ACK truth and history

[@jeffhalley6139]

One of the best lyricists and musicians of all time. Period!

[@hugocody3063]

+Jeff Halley Second that...brilliant songwriter and performer and a conscious to boot

[@anazsarsour]

agreed!!

[@djplusdj]

AMEN

[@peraperic8775]

You got period?

[@danielbruckner6275]

Jeff Halley

[@terrancethomas9792]

From a Manhattan bar where they put bread in my jar to Allentown to a fisherman in New England. To wearing bright orange pair of pants and making it with the red head girl to riding on the Hudson River Line. To walking through Bed Stuy alone to saying Goodbye to Hollywood to telling her about it. To saying she will cut you and laugh while you bleeding to warning people to wait for their second wind. Nobody sings about America like the Great Billy Joel.

[@heavnnnsent]

Oh yes! Beautifully expressed and it ain't it the truth!

[@dennisgreen3430]

Damn, I wish I had written that! Magnificent comment @terrancethomas9792!

[@terrancethomas9792]

@@dennisgreen3430 , thank you Dennis. I’m a writer but not a “stand at the bar and put bread at my jar” type.

[@terrancethomas9792]

@@dennisgreen3430 , thanks.

[@heavnnnsent]

@@dennisgreen3430 ....me too! It gave me a bad case of comment envy 😉

[@tenthousandagainstone7967]

As a Newfoundlander this song speaks volumes. I was never a fisherman, but my father's family lived and died by the fishery. I know this song wasn't written about us, but I can't help but feel like it was. What a phenomenal song.

[@horsesavy4570]

It may not have been written about your area in general, but it applies to all who Spend their Life on the Sea.

[@jedsteelwell2354]

Billy Joel never fished or worried about feeding his kids so don't worry.

[@Secretservice709]

This song is about Newfoundland all those guys fishing out in Boston are Newfoundlanders who left long ago and if they’re not they’re definitely all Irish

[@matthewnitti856]

@@Secretservice709it’s about a Long Island fisherman who has to travel further up into New England due to fishing regulations and restrictions in New York. He references many Long Island locations in the song it’s pretty cool

[@SneakyCheeseThief]

I expect it’s like my uncles used to say about miners - they’re all brothers and they feel each others pain, even on the other side of the Atlantic. This was in the 80s and my West Virginia kin were talking about the mine strikes in the UK. There’s nothing that makes people kindred like knowing the same pain. If they lived and died by the catch in Canada, I’m sure most fishermen out of the Sound would say this song was written for them too.

[@siddhantaghosh1649]

"There ain't no island left for islanders like me" this hits me hard ♥️♥️

[@markcarr1605]

Its only getting harder to stay on the island

[@patrickkelly8095]

My family has been out on the eastern end for over 50 years, until 3 years ago. Grew up on Shelter Island and Green Port. Fished the bays from the time I could walk, and know what those guys went through. I used to walk through the old boat building yards and see the unfinished hulls still in the jigs. The old oyster factory. Selling our days catch of Blue's at Alice's Fish Market. Went back out there a few years ago and its sad what it has become. Full of dirty hipster's, insanely over priced. Claudios is owned by a hedge fund owner now. The run down fishing docks I remember from the 80's are gone, the old potato farms are now housing developments and golf clubs. River Head, what was once all farms and the raceway. Is now car dealerships, chain restaurants, and malls with traffic bad enough it takes 45 minutes to drive through on a weekend afternoon. I nearly wept when I saw an article calling Green Port the new top hipster destination.

[@erebus79]

@@patrickkelly8095 that's depressing

[@valerieannrumpf4151]

That pretty much sums it up.

[@currenwiggin8982]

I live on Nantucket.

[@buterflyz10]

This song applies to everyone who knows what the struggle really is like. We might not be fishermen but we at some point in our lives know what it means to have others depend on you and we carry on and do what we must so at the end of the day they never know what it really cost to put that bread on that table we slaved for.

[@ernestmatlock5755]

👏👏👊👍

[@livingwellisthebestrevenge347]

Amen!

[@adriang6259]

100%, Brother. From Perth WA.

[@amyholley4331]

That is so true.

[@aidanerickson3772]

As a young lobster sternman who is a father this comment hit hard MAINE

[@rainbowtractor]

I hail from Brooklyn, but hung out all the time on the north shore and montauk occasionally. My great grandpa owned a fishing company out of providence RI. Salt of the earth. That’s what this song is.

[@VMsmith44]

2024 & still here 🤟 Thank-you for ALL the years Billy 👏👏Bravo👏👏

[@ivyknights2635]

All American Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen I f****** love you guys!

[@mmcilwain12347]

My Father in law was an islander and a bay man - southern style. He's been gone a few years now. His headstone lies about a half mile from me as I type - it reads "I still have my hands on the wheel". Here's to you snuffy. You are missed.

[@tional5266]

goosebumps from your comment

[@keithburgess331]

Respect Snuffy

[@alphacause]

This is the ultimate working man's song.

[@courtneysmith649]

Yes definitely

[@TheSighphiguy]

except for "Working Man", by Rush

[@a-s-greig]

Right up there with "Livin' on a Prayer."

[@UlyssesSGrant-de9pn]

Dropkick Murphys Worker’s Song

[@tylorliles2649]

Don't forget Alabama 40 hour week for a living!

[@dickhertz5987]

If you’re an islander, you know, and it does bring tears to your eyes

[@hoch316]

I took my wife to see Billy Joel this year for Mother’s Day. He says this song isn’t on the set list but he feels like singing it, and he played this. It was an amazing experience live.

[@jeffersonmurilo7162]

The Hangover Part II, i´m here because of you

[@Chris-uu8rz]

same

[@KdoobsDoobieman]

Hell yea

[@michalis3376]

+Jefferson Murilo Me too!

[@1andOnlyGorillaBill]

+Jefferson Murilo yup

[@ulba98]

+Jefferson Murilo same

[@Brown-streak_studios]

I feel this song, my dad worked hard to keep us fed. I would stay up late to see him come home just so i know he was ok.

[@iamx1508]

All the best for you and your family. Always be proud of your Daddy. Sending lots of Love

[@The_Primary_Axiom]

Was his name Billy joel ?

[@sabrinapowell7253]

Need more dad's like that!

[@angelanewton4700]

@@The_Primary_Axiom lol

[@briansingh8433]

Brown-Streak Studios I cried reading that;...deep.

[@dmger14a]

I was sad to hear this wasn’t on his list of best songs. Might be my favorite, and I’ve listened to him since the 70s.

[@elysium.ai.6203]

Who's there after Tommy Johanssons cover for this song?I hope Billy hears it too.He did amazing job with this song.❤

[@user-eb8db4xq1p]

Tommy's version is stunning.

[@user-vj2bp7ib4t]

@@user-eb8db4xq1p Tommy did a good job but Billy sang it better.

[@robg836]

"Took on diesel in Montauk yesterday, Left this morning from the bell in Gardiners bay" Long Island Strong!! WOOOO!!

[@aceleone215]

..SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SONG JUST TOUCHES YOUR SOUL.&. EVOKES EMOTION EVERYTIME YOU LISTEN TO IT..!!

[@garym444]

Struggle of humanity. Survival

[@mthead5800]

Funny you say that, it does same for me, something about this song gets me,and I'm not a fisherman

[@kingofthings7929]

Billy Joel’s always been good at this. I feel like I’m out on the ocean at the helm of a ship with this song. The water is calm, but the sky is dark. A storm is brewing, slowly closing in.

[@patlyons1524]

👍

[@Jessie-ny9kd]

He is just so good!! I always wanted to see him in concert. This song just sucks me in. Billy Joel is like no other 🌟♥️

[@cowetascore8476]

"ain't no Island left for Islanders like me." Left L.I. in 1996 and that line always hits hard.

[@ryangosse5481]

My dad owns a shrimping company with his veteran buddy who was wounded in Vietnam. Heard this song for the first time tomorrow.....makes me cry every time! Happy Easter y'all!

[@charliehoward6737]

My father was a Captain of Shrimp Boats. He worked out of Brownsville's Shrimping Industry port. He worked the seas for over 30 plus years. He said it was his passion, his home. When I was a teenager, he told me that the Shrimping Industry would start to die out due to pond shrimp sales, TEDS (turtle excluder devices) and our government not allowing American Shrimpers to work from Southern waters (Mexican waters). Wow...my dad was right. The Shrimping Industry is a dying industry. Very sad. My brothers and I were raised around shrimpers. Very good and loyal people/workers. I drive by the port once and a while. The place looks like a ghost town. Many boats don't go out because the diesel prices are just to expensive. My heart goes out to them. My father's name is John W. Howard. I learned a lot about shrimping while working with him during the summers. The experience was tough, yet price less. Long live Captain John Howard. We Love and Miss you very much.

[@karlaweiss9161]

I'm married to a boat captain whose career spans 36+ years! We've had good years and some very bad years (most recently)! Billy's song never ceases to lift me above our bad times. It's a GREAT song!!! Billy Joel is a Great Artist!

[@engineerasad8606]

pleasure to know mamm

[@MordricM.F.H]

I discovered this song for the first time from the movie Hangover 2. What a smashing singer and beautiful song🌺. Music is a universal Language❤🤲.. I am writing from Lincolnshire England. I wish your day be an amazing day!

[@piotrretmanczyk8998]

This song was written before I was born. This hit me so, so hard now. My dear grandfather was a fisherman. He spent 30 years of life on the Atlantic ocean and he gave all members of my family some sort of love for the sea and fishing. He passed the way not very long ago. I spend my best young years nearby the sea. God damn it, this so freaking touching, my eyes are sweating (damn onions cut by ninjas)... I just hit replay for more than 10 times in a row. Masterpiece, pure masterpiece even after those years. Thank you.

[@dogsareprecious4842]

I'm sorry you miss your dear grandfather---this song must be extra meaningful to you and your family......... But I'd also like to tell you that "damn onions cut by ninjas" made me LOL!

[@piotrretmanczyk8998]

@@dogsareprecious4842 no worries all good ;)... what is more important each time when I listen this song those damn ninjas are still cutting those onions ;)

[@sovicidonji]

​@@piotrretmanczyk8998you, dear sir, are speaking with poetry in your ❤. Live long and good

[@jussitikkuri6991]

This is the quintessential Billy Joel song for North East of New England & Mass, R.I. , & New York. Every word he sings is a big reality in many peoples lives today. My Grandfather was an offshore boat Captain who owned his own offshore boat. I have the pictures with him and his friends and clients with Big Swordfish, Mako Shark ( a 17 footer).... tuna laden decks. The heyday of sportfishing . Then come the limits and restrictions . You still can't sell no Stripers. No body wants bluefish too much Then this song comes out and gets us all excited .... actually hoping fish stocks will get better. Joel is from Oyster Bay , Long Island. There was no better person to have made this song & video. Fishing is a dying occupation and the men &women who still do it have my respect.

[@Picturamadojo]

Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis and I still have my hands on the wheel... There are so few true storytellers who write songs. Billy Joel is one of them.

[@piotrd.4850]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_trawler

[@jamescannon4925]

Billy Joel and Chris De Burgh are the 2 best story tellers in music imo

[@MiserableOldFart]

I read somewhere years ago that Billy Joel didn't want to be thought of as a balladeer. Sorry, guy, that's when you are at your best.

[@zeri76]

I just love that line. He's a masterful storyteller indeed.

[@ethansexotics616]

@@piotrd.4850 Trolling refers to driving a boat slowly while a rod and lure trails behind. Trawling is with a net. Either could work in this context.

[@josephdonato5600]

I used to commercial fish in Montauk for over two decades and would often see Joel's boat "The Alexa Ray" (which he no longer owns)in it's slip. Billy had/has a house up there and was very involved as well as a celebrity voice that got heard for the local fisherman. As most have already stated who are from Long Island, many of the names in the song are famous fishing areas. Like everything else the industry has been decimated by greedy politicians and the number limits put on every species of fish is ridicules and makes it basically impossible for a boat to even cover the cost of bait let alone fuel. It has been about a decade since I last fished in Montauk, but it still remains my favorite place on the planet! An incredibly well crafted song and one that can only be written by someone who really knows his shit.

[@LADvaitV]

Great comment. 10/10

[@h.magnus3022]

excelent comment

[@stevend776]

All those limits are there for good reason... All those greedy bastards who stole from their children and the next seven generations have caused the current state of affairs. Now we have acid pouring on our heads, whole species wiped out, many species endangered, and people complain that they can't catch more fish. We might be too late, but it can't hurt to try.

[@VintageLJ]

+Steven Daniszewski It's not too late. Even the number of Cod is starting to grow again!

[@gilfish7220]

I feel your pain. East end lobsterman here

[@chazellmoore]

I've watched hangover 2 a million times and I've always loved this song. It just dropped my jaw when I found out it's Fng Billy Joel. I remember this cat when I was younger in the 80's man!!!! Mind blown

[@jordantorres8735]

Lol, just came here after hearing it in hangover 2

[@davemiller8215]

lololol......dude//where the hell have you been?!?!?! this song IS from the late 80s!!! .....did you just come back from another planet?? too fucking funny

[@olsche8861]

@@davemiller8215 Ahm some of us are born in the 90s and later..just to mention ;) I´m here also from hangover 2, but in the end i found this masterpiece :)

[@jordantorres8735]

Was going to say, I was born in ‘98. Lol

[@chazellmoore]

​@@davemiller8215Born in 74,no excuse. Somehow just missed it. Playing it for my GF. She's born 76, she didn't know it either. One of us should've known it. Lol

[@aashutoshpatel167]

Came here from The Hangover 2 immediately after listening it there. Gem song.

[@ViralVideos-fd7dr]

If your listening this then my friend you have an incredible taste of music 💜 God Bless🙏

[@sucklemyknuckle7941]

"im trolling atlantis, and still have my hands at the wheel"......what a great line

[@sucklemyknuckle7941]

UncleMikeNJ ya, i guess now that you say that i realize i knew that, but i do appreciate the polite correction

[@WilliamOliver11]

+UncleMikeNJ Interestingly, both would fit in the statement and make sense, as a definition of "trolling" is basically fishing. It really comes down to what the individual hears. I personally hear "trolling", but I can see how you might here " trawling".

[@zeljomirja8946]

i drive truck acrose Europe and i find my self in that line too :)

[@richmatonti9819]

trawling

[@supremalex3572]

Suckle MyKnuckle why talk about his dick? Are you what, a 4th grade kid? Geez

[@captaintomst]

I sailed those waters for fun for years and then sailed them for a living years later aboard tugs and a 275' oil tanker delivering gasoline, dieseland heating oil to Nantucket. Half my family is buried on the East End of Long Island. This song always chokes me up

[@kell2229]

Great times living on Long Island. As a east long Islander myself born here and still living here. Still fish every season with my dad. I'm holding out as long as possible since long Island is so expensive 😢

[@FreejackVesa]

My father grew up on Nantucket in the 50s, back when it was fishermen and a dead end, before the ultra wealthy moved in. He was an orphan raised by alcoholic adoptive parents. While my dad and I didnt see eye to eye all the time, this song makes me think of him. Billy Joel is just amazing.

[@brielleschwing46]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who cries every time I listen to this song...

[@j.h.17]

+Brielle Schwing this one and peter gabriels don't give up

[@arkady714]

Every Long Islander worth their salt cries at this song. I do, too.

[@dmger14]

It is the fishing version of Allentown. Both are awesome songs!

[@arkady714]

+dmger14 You know, that's one heck of a good point! 40 years of being a BJ fan, 50+ of being an islander and I'd never thought of it that way.

[@huddleurmuddle]

Brielle Schwing I cry everytime I ejaculate

[@CS-fv2sn]

This song always gets me. I was born and raised on long island, but it's too expensive to stay here. "there ain't no island left for islanders like me" hits me hard.

[@bobbazata1161]

same here.. was an avid surfcaster.. I remember why and when he wrote this song.. I left in 94 and never get tired of hearing this song.. over and over and over .. get choked up every time.

[@CarrieVogel77]

I had to leave my beloved Island Beach State Park behind because I couldn't afford to live in the state I was born in. I've never lived more than 20 minutes from the ocean my whole life. I miss the striper runs. Now I'm landlocked, and I dream of the crash of the surf.

[@ricki347]

Still in Seaford, Long Island. Waiting for that day that I run into Billy in Cold spring harbor 💙☀️💙

[@jmthomson0220]

I'm a daughter of a commercial lobsterman in sandy hook,NJ and this song always gave me for bumps....... "since they told me I can't sell no stripers! And there's no luck in swordfishing here. " line gets me every time

[@thomasdenzler5293]

Yep... From a fellow Islander...

[@DrNancyLivingCoCreatively]

There are giants in the canyons and the captain cannot sleep.

[@user-nb9im7wz1h]

Guess I am one of the lucky ones that knew this song WAYYYYY before Hangover II. Probably because I was one of those people that listened to an entire album, not just the hits, when I bought it.

[@richardroberts6978]

Had a bus driver play this album all the time in 3rd and 4th grade when it came out, was so lucky she loved good music.

[@deveroth8871]

good for you. nobody fucking cares.

[@richardroberts6978]

@@deveroth8871 wow the intellect it took for such an intelligent comment blows my mind so much makes me want to squeeze my pee pee. 🤦😒🤣😂 Next time you have a thought be sure to just fart next time, same thing but the world doesn't have to hear the stupidity f9r eternity. #sicksadworld

[@mrfortune500]

Just sitting here in 2020 quarantine...enjoying the hell out of Billy Joel.

[@darkenergy436]

me to

[@tiktokvideosxx]

The best

[@pamaer]

As well you should

[@omidmojaver-esfanjani2175]

Lucky you ?

[@robertclark523]

Reminds me of road trips with my dad.

[@VRoll34]

One of the best songs to ever exist

[@barbarakec4971]

My Dad used to love this song and always wanted me to sing it to him. Since he is no longer with us, I get emotional whenever I hear it. It is one of those timeless songs you will love forever.

[@DrummerBoy233]

Playing this song on drums is like riding a bike with a cool breeze running through your hair. Soothing as.

[@obi-wankenobi7328]

I live in Montauk and listening to this song almost brings me to tears every time, one of my favorites from Billy Joel.

[@Franz_cpp]

I thought you lived in a galaxy far, far away...

[@woltews]

any fishermen left ?

[@Caltops78]

I had to google earth all the places Joel mentions in this song. Looks like Block Island Sound has some awesome looking Lighthouses. Race Point Lighthouse especially. I’m from the Midwest so I have never been anywhere in or around NYC

[@williamtiebout4142]

@@Caltops78 the end of Long Island is a far way from NYC, in distance and lifestyle. The lifestyle is changing rapidly out on the eastern end, working people are being forced out by taxes and regulations. This push has been going on for 50yrs. Dad and Mom saw it coming we left L. I. in '64.

[@Caltops78]

@@williamtiebout4142 that’s all interesting and sad news. I’ve only been to Boston and the New England area for east coast trips. I live in Minnesota. Would have liked to still travel to Long Island or New York someday. Hearing this song just makes me wonder what the area and lifestyle is like. Sucks to hear that about the working class

[@briangoudey9203]

Im a fisherman from novi ....the footage is a day in the life of us. Hàrd honest work....plus we have a great office view 😉

[@VonRammsteyn]

Where is novi? If you don't mind me to ask...

[@Kynorth1341]

@@VonRammsteyn I think he cut Nova Scotia short.

[@VonRammsteyn]

@@Kynorth1341 Thanks!

[@thechef6507]

Ur a true working class hero

[@scottrandall5350]

What do you fish Brian ? Groundfish, scallop dragger lobster ? Maritimer myself down where biggest scallop fleet in the world is .

[@intrepidtomato]

Introduced my husband to this song, he loved it immediately. He's from a fishing community, had relatives going out on the sea, the kind of place where people die every year in a storm or because they overloaded their boats. The kind of place where fishermen don't learn how to swim because they believe it would just prolong their suffering if they ever fell overboard. I don't know how Billy Joel captured so much of this life in one song. It's art.

[@jamesatwell6446]

Dear Billy ; IMHO, This is your greatest achievement. You are a patriot of the Heart. ❤

[@BuddyWazzup]

Such a masterpiece.

[@bautistanaudi2150]

No

[@JT9K]

"But I got people back on land who count on me" 😢 💪 👑 💝 SMH ...some of the realest words ever put on a track

[@WowWow-ow6fw]

My husband sings this perfectly. He serenades me with it regularly. Hes currently in rehab for alcohol. Today is hard and this brings me comfort

[@duncanb410]

Best of luck to your husband from a fellow recovering addict and Billy Joel fan. Just let him know that if he sticks to his recovery it will get easier everyday. Tell him not to be afraid to reach out for help when he feels the urge to drink creeping back up on him.

[@marcusblickerify]

Aww... Stand by him. It's a beautiful song. Sometimes when people sing their soul is pouring out so if they can sing good they have a good soul. I could be wrong but I really feel that. I wish you both the best of luck. Life is so hard and challenging and I would never hold anything against anybody trying to better themselves I don't hold anything against people that have addictions because life is brutal sometimes and things just are hard. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[@beccabbyx]

Sending you both love and hope for his recovery ❤️

[@keithrathmann621]

dedicates this listen to good luck for yall.

[@WowWow-ow6fw]

Unfortunately he relapsed bad.. Ended up in jail where he currently resides.

[@aldousmcswan5264]

I'm from Sweden, these lyrics captures our fishermens reality too. I F-in Love Billy Joel for making this song. Ode to the working man. Respect! :-)

[@theblazingflare7196]

+Aldous McSwan What I think the song is about is that The narrator is trying to find fish to sell and get money from.I think this because in the lyrics it states”I've 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”.This means that he is not very lucky catching fish,but he is persisting.Another piece of evidence is that he said”I was a bayman like my father was beforeCan't make a living as a bayman anymoreThere ain't much future for a man who works the seaBut there ain't no island left for islanders like me”.This means that he can’t continue this career for much long because it does not pay well,and now he knows that he has to accept that this isn’t a suitable job

[@d4n4nable]

TheBlazingFlare You act like that's a hidden meaning...

[@Darasilverdragon]

This is the most Long Island thing on earth, and I include the island itself in that assessment.

[@joesites]

Living on the coast of Maine this song is like an anthem for so many. Fishermen are most loyal, proud and tough people I know. The TV shows only show about 20% of what it takes. Anytime you eat seafood remember all of those that make it possible!

[@sharedknowledge1232]

I'm on the coast of Maine as well and I grew up with this being the anthem as well

[@andrewpatton5114]

Well, wild-caught seafood. These days, a lot of it is farm-raised.

[@skeletorlikespotatoes7846]

Bro can I come and work up there for a boat?

[@kingshukdas2116]

How on earth this doesn’t get included in Billy Joel’s all time hits! Hangover brought my attention and since I am in love with this song. Billy Joel, a legend.

[@TB-yx7pi]

I was a fisherman in 90. So I know what it means. My respect to your guys. Stay healthy and greetings from old Germany

[@emancaindec9731]

1:37 - 1:42 always gives me chills to my spine...

[@arthurcorassini]

That goosebump that catches your whole body, jeeeez

[@scopex2749]

SUPERB SONG Im not even a fisherman but I feel the emotions in this song. RESPECT to all the deep sea fishermen - calm seas and fair winds to ye. Care for the sea and care for these people we are all gods children.

[@blueplanetforsale1090]

This guy is just brilliant. Got shivers down my spine now !!!! Hello from the West of Scotland.

[@gazouza7028]

Blue Planet for Sale same for me, greetings from Algeria

[@jackgriffeyjr]

Howard Stern brought me here. He said this is one of his favorite songs . Amazing. Billy Joel top 5 songwriters of all time.

[@cbeltran15]

Hey now!!

[@mordecai6669]

Jack McCrack ayylmao

[@MrDonkrypton]

Greetings from Northern Germany. I grew up at the coast and can tell, this song works everywhere in the world. Play it to someone on the Mekong Delta, the Ganges, the arabian Penisnula or on an african river - everyone will feel the water, smell the salt in the air and wants to look at the horizon.

[@horsesavy4570]

well said!

[@ivyknights2635]

This is Fire... We can all relate to this on so many levels. Whether it's your past or present or anybody in any kind of situation, this ignites passion. Everybody knows struggle, but this is All-American this is an All-American struggle and I love it from my core and my heart, I love this so much because it reaches us all. Thank you Billy this is why you are one of America's children.

[@kevinmcsweeney8343]

Very powerful song demonstrating Billy’s devotion to his roots in Long Island.

[@mmoney416]

All of his songs show his devotion to us

[@katharinedalton839]

I heard some where that Billy worked as a fisherman for a time on a boat like this. He had a genuine taste of it. It grueling, thankless work most of the time. He's not just singing about something he hasn't experienced. Gritty, brutal, beautiful song!

[@oma15]

As a fisherman (if I dare call myself that) in a line of fisherman, I love this song. It is harder than ever to own your own enterprise but the reward is enormous. An island in the middle of the great blue...

[@erickgerardoriveraorellana9158]

oma15 iii

[@courtneysmith649]

Awesome 👏 I am a fisherman myself

[@JaydenWorth]

as a Victoria born, its an opposite coast but "Aint no island left for an islander like me." is just profoundly accurate.

[@joshuabrooks4907]

I live across Elliott bay/Puget sound from you, in Washington state. Whidbey island is my home island.

[@carmenronyak1321]

Actually named my daughter because of the feeling this song evoked,and the unique name, at the era...thanks Willym...one of the best storytellin evr😄

[@RICHGREENNOW]

The working mans voice....Allentown knows very well. Salute Bill!

[@mtf347]

Just discovered this gem. My folks were Baymen in the old days, it hurts to listen, honestly. Great job Billy.

[@jennyb2719]

Such a perfect song Billy is a legend in his own right Pure masterpiece And tells a beautiful story ❤

[@keithbassett4988]

Nobody could ever sing this particular song and make it so poignant and meaningful as Billy. His vocals range and passion are only matched by his talent as a storyteller. I've been a fan since the 70's......but every time I hear this song it puts me back in college and wandering what laid ahead for my future. Some turbulent times, large threatening waves, and some turns I didn't anticipate always crop up in retrospect as the first verse rages from the speakers. Billy Joel.....the storyteller for my generation.

[@mafebernal1566]

Well I'm on the Downeaster Alexa And I'm cruisin' through Block Island Sound I have charted a course to the vineyard But tonight I am Nantucket bound We took on diesel back in Mantauk 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 work my fingers to the bone 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 So if 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 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 swordfishing here I was a Bayman like my father was before Can't make a living as a Bayman anymore There ain't much future for a man who works the sea But there ain't no island left for Islanders like me Ya-ya-ya-oh Ya-ya-ya-oh Ya-ya-ya-oh Ya-ya-ya-oh

[@DeaknQuinn]

My last name is Bernal also. Hi.

[@jripn8543]

Thanku

[@anthonybernal76]

Same here!

[@johnpikathemusician271]

Thanks!

[@edgartenorio253]

Love it , thank you

[@fay-amieaspen6046]

For years I didn't know that the divine Violinist was the delightful Mr Perlman. Love his playing.

[@TheBelilu]

This man is UNIVERSAL!!! His Genius is on another level. They don't make them like Billy anymore :(((((((((((

[@TheCgraham18]

Who needs piano man and the other 10 billy Joel songs that get pounded into your head thousands of times via radio when you can have this underplayed gem?

[@wanderer7500]

Everyone knows that when you listen to this, you cant only listen to it once.

[@wanderer7500]

Sven Der fette Even I haven't listed to it that many times in a row.

[@stephaniem8769]

Jeff Bronz yes!!

[@lewismartiniello9441]

With you & still like J. Taylor a lot but Joel is no slouch.

[@evaadam4568]

Ich liebe das Lied und habe keinen Schimmer warum.

[@mc77ification]

Geht mir genauso. Das Lied ist einfach klasse!

[@RyanD738]

I’ve always been a big fan of Billy Joel but this is by far hands down, my favorite song of his. It’s just a beautiful hardworking man song... Musical poetry!

[@dylanfoote1602]

Wholeheartedly agree, his only songs that could rival this are Italian restaurant and maybe the stranger.

[@TeriNtheGirlz]

Allentown is also very powerful. I'd check it out - it's nearly just as powerful, I think.

[@brianking1970]

The only problem with this song is that it has to end!! Absolute masterpiece!!

[@horsesavy4570]

Personally Billy Joel's best song of all time, Hands down! I was never a Fisherman, but i knew many over the years. This song is packed with Emotion. If you cant feel it, you dont know the Life.

[@OutlawRavers]

Fuck the hangover i grew up on this song

[@meganmyra3401]

SAME!

[@bobcostanza4785]

Yeah, one of the few songs I remember.

[@akeia93]

Outlaw Ravers I grew up on rap and r&b. Hangover 2 brought this and his other songs to my attention. I'm a fan thanks to that movie!

[@yapwenjing123]

Outlaw Ravers Yeah, this is fucking fantastic. Such a good song that it shouldn't have to be introduced by a movie, but still it's good people know this song from a movie rather than not knowing it at all.

[@sharifsircar]

Outlaw Ravers I heard this on the radio year years years back

[@jasonmarcel4823]

This is the Billy Joel song that a lot of people don't know is a Billy Joel song. I host karaoke about twice a week, on really busy Friday and Saturday nights and I'll pull this one out from time to time and just give her. After it's done, there are always a few people who come up and are like, "That was amazing, who was that?". "Billy Joel". "That was Billy Joel?".