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Margaritaville

Jimmy Buffett

from the album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes released in 1977

jump to: lyrics / notes & tabs / chord progressions / song info

Lyrics

Intro

    D (see below for riff)


Verse

   D 
    Nibblin' on sponge cake... watching the sun bake
                                        A7 
    All of those tourists covered with oil
    Strummin' my six-string... on my front porch swing
                                              D    D7 
    Smell those shrimp they're beginning to boil


Chorus

       G         A                 D          D7 
        Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
       G                  A                  D   D7 
        Searchin' for my... lost shaker of salt
       G               A                 D  A      G 
        Some people claim that there's a wo-man to blame
              A                        D 
        But I know... it's nobody's fault

    Don't know the reason... stayed here all season
    Nothing is sure but this brand new tattoo
    But it's a real beauty... a Mexican cutie
    How it got here, I haven't a clue

        Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
        Searchin' for my... lost shaker of salt
        Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
        Now I think... hell, it could be my fault

    (instrumental verse)

    I blew out my flip-flop... stepped on a pop-top
    Cut my heel had to cruise on back home
    But there's booze in the blender... and soon it will render
    That frozen concoction that helps me hang on

        Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
        Searchin' for my... lost shaker of salt
        Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
        But I know... it's my own damn fault... yes and,

        Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
        And I know... it's my own damn fault

    (intro riff to end)

Notes & Tabs

Basic Chords Used

Here are the chords used to play this song. At its simplest, it is very straightforward -- you can 100% get away with playing only D, G, and A. Add variations to the D and A for spice, as you see fit: muted strumming, added 2nd and 4th tones, etc.

e-|----2----3----0----0-----
B-|----3----0----2----2-----
G-|----2----0----2----0-----
D-|----0----0----2----2-----
A-|---------2----0----0-----
E-|---------3---------------
       D    G    A    A7

Intro Riff

Here is the riff I use to play the intro to the song. Your focus here is almost entirely on the three top strings (E, B, and G strings) -- while playing the open D string as appropriate.

e-|---5--5--5--3--x--5--x--x---|---5--5--5--3--x--5--x--x---|--
B-|---7--7--7--5--x--7--x--x---|---3--3--3--3--x--3--x--x---|--
G-|---7--7--7--4--x--7--x--x---|---4--4--4--4--x--4--x--x---|--
D-|----------------------------|----------------------------|--
A-|----------------------------|----------------------------|--
E-|----------------------------|----------------------------|--
      D        Em    D             Gadd2    G     Gadd2 

 -|---7--7--x--7--x--5---3--x--|---2--2--x--2--x--2--2--2---||
 -|---8--8--x--8--x--7---5--x--|---3--3--x--3--x--3--3--3---||
 -|---7--7--x--7--x--6---4--x--|---2--2--x--2--x--2--2--2---||
 -|----------------------------|---0--------0---------------||
 -|----------------------------|----------------------------||
 -|----------------------------|----------------------------||
      G             F#m  Em        D

Chord Progressions

Intro

 D (with riff)

Verse

"Nibblin' on sponge cake..."
| D . . . | . . . . | .  . . . | .  . . . |
| . . . . | . . . . | A7 . . . | .  . . . |
| . . . . | . . . . | .  . . . | .  . . . |
| . . . . | . . . . | D  . . . | D7 . . . |

Chorus

"Wastin' away again in Margaritaville..."
| G . . . | A . . . | D . . . | D7 . . . |
| G . . . | A . . . | D . . . | D7 . . . |
| G . . . | A . . . | D . A . | G  . . . |
| A . . . | . . . . | D . . . | D  . . . |

Song Info

Song: Margaritaville
Artist: Jimmy Buffett
Album: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Year: 1977
Label: ABC

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About

My name is David Potsiadlo, and I created Songnotes to share my collection of guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for my favorite songs.

Since I started playing guitar over 10 years ago, I've often been frustrated by the preponderance of mediocre and incomplete song tabs littered across the internet. To combat this, I started keeping my own collection of notes for each song I learn -- always taking the extra time to make sure accuracy and completeness are never compromised. Years later, my collection grew to the point where I knew I had to share it online with fellow aspiring musicians.

In December 2012, I began designing & developing a website that became Songnotes. Here, I share my personal collection of hand-crafted music notation with all those online. I hope you enjoy.

You can also view my personal website or follow me on Twitter / Dribbble / GitHub / LinkedIn.