What did Billy Joel mean by "Their ain't no Island let for Islanders like me"? (New York: living, moving)

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by BigMike50

The Vineyard mentioned in this song is Martha's Vineyard.

//www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-east-end.html

[Twobeach]

Ok here's the deal,,some of you are way off,and some on right on the $$$, it is Dedicated and was written for the struggling Fishermen and the Industry. I know my guys have spent time and fished with him. "There aint no island left for Islander's like me"> This is directly linked to the waters being Raped by outsiders{Japan} and goverment interfearence in the industry along with dwindling catches. It was dedicated to LI Bonokers {Fishermen} Alexa is his boat, I don't know if he still owns it, I believe he does as he being born and raised on the Island has a great bittersweet love for it. I am sure if he wrote a song on what Long Island has become>>>>>> would we really want to hear it over and over when we live it everyday? And PS> The Fishing Industry has gone even further downhill since this Song was written. I am amazed the guys are still docked at Captree, they are starving! Hang in there Fellas!

[BigMike50]

==Song Facts==

Downeaster Alexa: In the first verse of the song, Billy Joel establishes that he’s a working on a Downeaster fishing vessel called the “Alexa”. There is an actual fishing berthed along the coast of Maine called the Alexa (note: Maine’s coast is often referred as “Down East”.

Block Island Sound, Vineyard, Nantucket: The song is written for the mariners working in North Eastern United States, and so many of the geographical places are mentioned, Block Island Sound (a nautical passage way off of Long Island’s East End and near and of course the actual Block Island), the Vineyard refers to Martha’s Vineyard, an that is much like the Hamptons, once predominantly a fishing village is now quite and used primarily as a summer resort for those who can afford it. Nantucket Island, a fairly island off of Massachusetts is similar in back story to Martha’s Vineyard.

Montauk is the eastern most point of Long Island and often associated with the famous Many fishing vessels port in Montauk and the surrounding areas. Prior to the wealthy the Hamptons, the whole south fork used to be a working class cluster of fishing This is also relatively near Gardiner’s Bay, which is one of the bodies of water that the north and south forks of Long Island.

There is a single political point to the song that is delivered using two primary The point is that making a living as a mariner is becoming a lot harder as the fish become Hence the line “there’s no luck in sword fishing here”. The second example is the use the word “islander”.

Islander: In the line “there ain’t no island left for islanders like me” – Joel isn’t about a specific island and it would be foolish to think that he’s specifically talking all of Long Island. A great majority of America’s North Eastern fishing industry is up of families living on islands all up the coast, from New York to Maine. In fact, the of Maine is often referred to as “down east” and inspired the term “Downeaster”. Down is often used in travel magazines and in everyday lingo that refer to the coast of Maine. From the Cranberry Isles to the islands of Casco Bay, all the way down to Cape Cod and Vineyard, nearly every working resident of these communities can relate to the because this song was in fact written about ALL of them. The line “there ain’t no left for islanders like me” also refers to the “Hamptonization” of these islands and that becoming tougher for fishermen to make their living on the water for the reason that can’t afford to be on the waterfront with the wealthy moving into these areas.

Like all musical pieces, meanings can be interpreted any which way you relate to it. I live up in a small fishing community in Maine and am well versed in geography, the north east industries and based on my knowledge of the world in which this song is set, this is the accurate translation I have been able to come up with. Suffice to say, I’m sure Joel has a far more personal back story than any of us could ever relate.



From is last tour :

At his sold-out concert Thursday night at the Key, he featured blue-collar, working-class anthems like "The Downeaster 'Alexa,'" about Nantucket Island fishermen, and "Allentown," a stark portrait of unemployed American steelworkers.....

[Pequaman]

^^^



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[TJLamb0518]

I think Billy just misses Gilligans Island and was lamenting on it.

[OhBeeHave]

When one struggles in quicksand, they get pulled in faster. BigMike, let it go. The person from whom you lifted the 'definition' states they are from Maine yet fails to realize that a 'Downeaster' is a type of boat which was manufactured in New England. They also are not familiar with LI history and it's fishing industry. Eastern LI has traditionally had much more in common with New England than western LI and NYC.

I remember when the song was released and TV interviews with Billy Joel alongside LI baymen -- supporting their cause. The dealt with government rules, waning fish population, increasing costs and diminishing returns. They had to travel further and further away from LI to make their limits.

Billy Joe's daughter is named Alexa, she was born in 1985 several years before the song was released....wonder where the song name came from? Billy Joel worked on oyster boats when he was younger -- he was famliar with LI"s fisheries. Why on earth would a LIer write a song about Maine or New England? Next thing you'll tell us is that the Green referred to in Scenes From An Italian Restaurant was somewhere in Massachusetts...

Perhaps a NY Times article from 1990 might help you understand Billy Joel's commitment to the LI baymen.
ABOUT LONG ISLAND - ABOUT LONG ISLAND - The Baymen's Friend - NYTimes.com

The baymen have hit upon hard times as a result of the commercial fishing ban on striped bass and the decline of the scallop industry. Their numbers have decreased dramatically.

''Here's a community that faces possible extinction,'' Mr. Joel said. ''My daughter, Alexa, may have to go to a museum to learn about them.'' To prevent the demise of one of Long Island's oldest seafaring industries, Mr. Joel and his band offered their musical talents in two sold-out concerts last week. A concert the week before had been rained out. Half of the profits from the shows will go to the East Hampton Baymen's Association...

A few years ago, after reading Peter Matthiessen's book ''Men's Lives,'' Billy Joel became aware of the plight of the East End fishermen.

''It struck a chord,'' he said. ''The baymen have been here since Colonial times. They were the original pioneers of this Island. I realized I had been a baymen, too, although I didn't know it had a name. I was just a guy doing his gig.''

Mr. Joel sent a donation to the East Hampton Baymen's Association. The bond between Billy and the baymen was formed. The music star - he considers himself a ''songwriter who happens to perform, not a performer who happens to write'' - is uncomfortable being labeled a celebrity with a cause.

''Money beats no money,'' Mr. Joel said. So he offered the baymen the proceeds of his recent single, ''Downeaster Alexa,'' about a East End fisherman who finds it hard to make a living

Instead of downloading someone else's interpretation, take a moment and pull up the lyrics.

Or better still here is the first two:

Well I’m on the Downeaster Alexa
And I’m cruising through Block Island Sound
I have chartered 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 worked my fingers to the bone

He left by the bell in Gardiner's Bay (LI, NY)
Took on diesel in Montauk (LI, NY)
Crusing through Block Island sound, charting a course for the Vineyard, tonight is Nantucket Bound.

The lyrics tell me he is from LI and has been forced to fish further and further away from home. The costs and laws associated with this have made his occupation increasingly more unsustainable. To the point where he has been forced to sell his home to maintain his boat, and thus, his livelihood.

Seeing as you have some free time to discuss this, you might enjoy this project for Ohio State students:

http://earthsys.ag.ohio-state.edu/nr797/Alexa.pdf

[BigMike50]

OBH,

Tell you the truth I couldn't care less....I was breaking some balls. Anyone from L.I. knows the song is about the fishing industry of the Island. As far as I'm concerned L.I. is the only real Island

I'm in a good mood today anyway.... My business plan as been giving the green light from my county and work starts this Monday

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by BigMike50

OBH,

Tell you the truth I couldn't care less....I was breaking some balls. Anyone from L.I. knows the song is about the fishing industry of the Island. As far as I'm concerned L.I. is the only real Island

I'm in a good mood today anyway.... My business plan as been giving the green light from my county and work starts this Monday

Is it really that slow that you need to post fallacies in response to what appeared to be an honest question from the OP? If you "couldn't care less" why bother posting at all? It's sort of troll-esque.

[BigMike50]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Is it really that slow that you need to post fallacies in response to what appeared to be an honest question from the OP? If you "couldn't care less" why bother posting at all? It's sort of troll-esque.

Seriously OBH

Do you think the OP was for real or just trying to antagonize people?

He's a troll ......I've been a member for many years. Some like me, some don't. Some even show me a lot of love

I bet the OP will be gone soon......the ole famous post and become a "not a member"

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by BigMike50

Seriously OBH

Do you think the OP was for real or just trying to antagonize people?

He's a troll ......I've been a member for many years. Some like me, some don't. Some even show me a lot of love

I bet the OP will be gone soon......the ole famous post and become a "not a member"

We don't know whether or not the OP was trying to stir the pot. Some of us attempted to answer honestly while others *ahem* grabbed the spoon and stirred with gusto.

The pot might be full of Purina Troll Chow.

I am not calling anyone a troll, but of all the posts, yours bordered that fine line. You know better. I try not to be cynical, but when youse transplants are stirring the board...who knows?