American Pie

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Verse 1
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that
music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people
dance and maybe they'd be happy
for a while
But February made me shiver,
with every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep, I
couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried when
I read about his widowed bride
Something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
Chorus
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em*                         A7*  Em*                         D7  D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
Verse 2
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God
above, if the bible tells you
so?
Do you believe in rock and roll
Can music save your mortal soul
and can you teach me how to
dance real slow?
Em*                  D*                   Em*             D*
Well I know that you're in love with him 'cuz I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes,
man I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage bronckin'
buck with a pink carnation and a
pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck the
day the music died,  I started
singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die, this will be the day
that I die
Verse 3
Now for ten years we've been on
our own
and moss grows fat on a rolling
stone but that's not how it used
to be
When the jester sang for the
king and queen
in a coat he borrowed from James
Dean in a voice that came from
you and me
Em*                 D*               Em*                 D*
Oh, and while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned, no
verdict was returned
And while Lennin read a book on
Marx, the quartet practiced in
the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
the day the music died,   we
were singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die, this will be the day
that I die
Verse 4
Helter skelter in a summer
swelter
the birds flew off with a
fallout shelter, eight miles
high and fallin' fast
It landed foul on the grass
the players tried for a forward
pass, with the jester on the
sidelines in a cast
Em*               D*                  Em*                 D*
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume, while sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance, but we
never got the chance
'Cuz the players tried to take
the field, the marching band
refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
the day the music died,   we
started singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die, this will be the day
that I die
Verse 5
And there we were all in one
place
a generation lost in space, with
no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack
be quick, Jack Flash sat on a
candlestick
'cause fire is the devil's only
friend
Em*              D*               Em*                    D*
And as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell could
break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high
into the night to light the
sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with
delight the day the music died, 
 he was singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die, this will be the day
that I die
Verse 6
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy
news, but she just smiled and
turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years
before, but the man there said
the music
wouldn't play
Em*                Am*                    Em*                  Am*
And in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken, the
church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most,
the Father, Son, and the Holy
Ghost
They caught the last train for
the coast the day the music
died,
N.C.
And they were singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em*                         A7   Em*                         D7  D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
They were singin' bye, bye Miss
American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die

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American Pie

Don McLean

Song storyLoading…

Chords

Transpose

Verse 1
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that
music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people
dance and maybe they'd be happy
for a while
But February made me shiver,
with every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep, I
couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried when
I read about his widowed bride
Something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
Chorus
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em*                         A7*  Em*                         D7  D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
Verse 2
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God
above, if the bible tells you
so?
Do you believe in rock and roll
Can music save your mortal soul
and can you teach me how to
dance real slow?
Em*                  D*                   Em*             D*
Well I know that you're in love with him 'cuz I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes,
man I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage bronckin'
buck with a pink carnation and a
pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck the
day the music died,  I started
singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die, this will be the day
that I die
Verse 3
Now for ten years we've been on
our own
and moss grows fat on a rolling
stone but that's not how it used
to be
When the jester sang for the
king and queen
in a coat he borrowed from James
Dean in a voice that came from
you and me
Em*                 D*               Em*                 D*
Oh, and while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned, no
verdict was returned
And while Lennin read a book on
Marx, the quartet practiced in
the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
the day the music died,   we
were singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die, this will be the day
that I die
Verse 4
Helter skelter in a summer
swelter
the birds flew off with a
fallout shelter, eight miles
high and fallin' fast
It landed foul on the grass
the players tried for a forward
pass, with the jester on the
sidelines in a cast
Em*               D*                  Em*                 D*
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume, while sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance, but we
never got the chance
'Cuz the players tried to take
the field, the marching band
refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
the day the music died,   we
started singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die, this will be the day
that I die
Verse 5
And there we were all in one
place
a generation lost in space, with
no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack
be quick, Jack Flash sat on a
candlestick
'cause fire is the devil's only
friend
Em*              D*               Em*                    D*
And as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell could
break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high
into the night to light the
sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with
delight the day the music died, 
 he was singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die, this will be the day
that I die
Verse 6
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy
news, but she just smiled and
turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years
before, but the man there said
the music
wouldn't play
Em*                Am*                    Em*                  Am*
And in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken, the
church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most,
the Father, Son, and the Holy
Ghost
They caught the last train for
the coast the day the music
died,
N.C.
And they were singin'
Chorus
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em*                         A7   Em*                         D7  D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
They were singin' bye, bye Miss
American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but
the levee was dry
And them good old boys were
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day
that I die