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Margaritaville
by Jimmy Buffett • Lesson #19 • May 25, 2016
Editor’s Notes
Here’s an ukulele lesson teaching you how to play Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett. I’m a huge Buffett fan, and when learning the uke I fell in love with playing this song. I think ukulele tuning actually works quite well for capturing the vibe of the intro riff, which I’ve included tabs for. Enjoy!
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Lyrics & Chords
INTRO
D (with intro riff)
VERSE
D
...Nibblin' on sponge cake, watching the sun bake...
D A
...All of those tourists covered with oil...
A
...Strummin' my six-string... on my front porch swing
A 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
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
Chords used
This song needs only three chords. They are:
----0---- ----2---- ----0----
----2---- ----3---- ----0----
----2---- ----2---- ----1----
----2---- ----0---- ----2----
D G A
While you can add variations to the above chords as you please, the most common variations you’ll want to practice are these:
----0---- ----3----
----2---- ----2----
----0---- ----2----
----2---- ----2----
D7 D7
Strumming Pattern
At the very least, you’ll want to emphasize the 2nd and 4th beat:
_ _
D D
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Taking it a step further, use the common D-DU-UDU pattern, while continuing to emphasize the 2nd and 4th beat.
_ _
D D U U D U
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Finally, you can add a chunky muted strum to the 2nd and 4th beat. These continue to be down-strums, but are further emphasized via the chunky & muted strum.
_ _
D x U U x U
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Intro tab
Here’s the tab of the intro melody. Note, I’m also showing the implied chords to be played with each measure. I recommend you move your hands into these chord positions first, and figure out how to play the melodic notes second.
---0--0--0-----0-----0--0--0-----0------2--2--2--0------------
---2--------3--------3--------3---------0-----------3-----2---
---2-----------------2------------------1-----------------2---
---2-----------------0------------------2-----------------2---
D G A D
...then, stay on D for a bit
Other strumming fills
Base “D” verse strum / “Nibblin’ on sponge cake…”
---0-------------0----0-------------0----0---
---2-------------0----2-------------3----2---
---2-------------2----2-------------2----2---
---2-------------2----2-------------2----2---
D Dsus2 D Dsus4 D
Base “A” strum / “…Strummin’ my six string…”
---0----------0--------0-----
---0----------3--2-----0-----
---1----------1-----0--0h1---
---2----------2--------2-----
A A7 A
Transition into chorus / “D” strum within chorus
---0-------------0----0-------------0----0---
---2-------------3----2-------------3----2---
---2-------------2----2-------------2----0---
---2-------------2----2-------------2----2---
D Dsus4 D Dsus4 D7
Chorus ending / “But I know, it’s my own damn fault”
---0---2--0-----------0--0----------
---0---------3--------2-----3--2----
---1------------------2-------------
---2------------------2-------------
A D
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