Going down
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck Lyrics

The lyrics of this song by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck are metaphoric and descriptive of a plane crash. It seems as if the singer is in a plane that is about to crash, something that he knows well and seems to be resigned to. He sings about how he is in the midst of it all, knee-deep in the problems, and knows that things will hurt a bit. The passengers have lost their smiles, and they know that soon their bodies will be scattered for miles. The singer confesses that he leaves his debts behind but has no regrets, except for wishing he had taken the train instead. He tries to stay positive that there's not a chance of going down, but then concedes they just might.

The song continues with the singer feeling like he is going to lose his mind and that he is going nowhere. He knows that everybody has their day, and he wishes his wasn't ending in a plane crash. He hopes that his loved ones back home know how much he cares for them. He also starts to pray – to the same God that puts bombs in cargo bays.

The song I'm Going Down was originally written by Don Nix and recorded by his band The Alabama State Troupers. The song became famous in the hands of Freddie King and was subsequently covered by various other artists. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck's version is a cover of the Freddie King version.

Although Jeff Beck's and Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar work is terrific throughout the song, Stevie Ray Vaughan takes a fantastic guitar solo later in the song.

Jeff Beck has said that it was Stevie Ray Vaughan who chose the track and asked Beck if he wanted to join him on this record. Their collaboration was effortless.

The track appears on Jeff Beck's Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop album. The album was released in 1989 and features Terry Bozzio on drums and Tony Hymas on keyboards.

The Jeff Beck / Stevie Ray Vaughan collaboration did not end with the recording of "Guitar Shop." By 1989 Jeff Beck has a custom Fender Stratocaster that he didn't find entirely satisfying. He donated it to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Vaughan essentially flipped the neck and replaced the pickups and electronics. He then presented it back to Beck, who found it completely transformed by the experience.

Stevie Ray Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1954. He died in a helicopter crash in 1990, just a year after this song received a Grammy nomination, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just five years later.

Jeff Beck's interest in music started with a guitar-playing uncle. Born in Surrey, England in 1944, he began playing and repairing guitars around the age of fourteen.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck’s recorded versions of ‘Going Down’ were not the only cover versions of the song: other artists who have covered it include Joe Bonamassa, Bobby & The Midnites, Roy Buchanan and The Peacemakers.

Here are the chords for 'I'm going Down' by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck:
Intro/Chorus
E G A (x2)

Verse
D C G D (x2)

Bridge
Em D A D (x3)
Em D A

Outro
E G A (x2)