American Pie chords
Don McLean  1971 (American Pie)

           
A long, long t

      
ime ago,   
            
I can still re

             
member, how th

            
at music used 

   
to make me smi

le.
             
And I knew if 

           
I had my chanc

            
e, that I coul

             
d make those p

  
eople dance,
            
and maybe they

             
'd by happy fo

    
r a while.
           
But February m

             
ade me shiver,

            
 with every pa

            
per I'd delive

    
r.  
            
Bad news on th

            
e doorstep; I 

             
couldn't take 

         
one more step 

 
            
I can't rememb

            
er if I cried,

            
 when I read a

         
bout his widow

ed bride;
            
something touc

            
hed me deep in

             
side, the day 

           
the music died

 
. 
 
            
So, bye-bye, M

            
iss American P

             
ie, drove my C

             
hevy to the le

           
vee but the 
            
levee was dry.

             
 Them good ole

             
 boys were dri

             
nking whiskey 

         
and rye, singi

ng
            
this'll be the

            
 day that I di

            
e, this'll be 

              
the day that I

 
 die.

             
Did you write 

            
the book of lo

             
ve, and do you

              
 have faith in

       
 God above, 
           
if the Bible t

              
ells you so?  

            
Now do you bel

            
ieve in rock a

             
nd roll,  
            
can music save

             
 your mortal s

            
oul?  And can 

              
you teach me h

            
ow to dance re

   
al slow?
            
Well I know th

             
at you're in l

             
ove with him, 

            
'cause I saw y

            
ou dancing in 

        
the gym
            
You both kicke

            
d off your sho

             
es, man I dig 

              
those rhythm a

        
nd blues!
             
I was a lonely

           
 teenage bronc

              
hing buck, wit

            
h a pink carna

           
tion and a pic

k-up truck.
            
But I knew I w

            
as out of luck

             
 the day, the 

          
music died. 
         
I started sing

ing....     

            
Bye-bye, Miss 

            
American Pie, 

             
drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

       
but the 
            
levee was dry.

             
 Them good ole

             
 boys were dri

             
nking whiskey 

         
and rye, singi

ng
            
this'll be the

            
 day that I di

            
e, this'll be 

              
the day that I

 
 die.

             
Now for ten ye

              
ars, we've bee

            
n on our own; 

             
and moss grows

            
 fat on a roll

    
ing stone,
            
but that's not

              
 how it used t

             
o be. When the

            
 jester sang f

         
or the King an

d 
            
Queen, in a co

              
at he borrowed

             
 from James De

            
an, and a voic

              
e that came fr

         
om you and me

            
Oh, and while 

             
the king was l

             
ooking down, t

            
he jester stol

        
e his thorny c

rown;
             
the court room

           
 was adjourned

             
, no verdict w

          
as returned.
             
And while Lenn

           
on read a book

              
 on Marx, the 

            
quartet practi

    
ced in the par

k;
            
and we sang di

            
rges in the da

             
rk, the day th

            
e music died, 
        
we were singin

g      

            
Bye-bye, Miss 

            
American Pie, 

             
drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

       
but the 
            
levee was dry.

             
 Them good ole

             
 boys were dri

             
nking whiskey 

         
and rye, singi

ng
            
this'll be the

            
 day that I di

            
e, this'll be 

              
the day that I

 
 die..

             
Helter skelter

            
 in the summer

              
 swelter, the 

             
birds flew off

            
 with a fallou

  
t shelter;
            
eight miles hi

              
gh and falling

            
 fast. It land

        
ed foul on the

 grass,
            
the players tr

             
ied for a forw

              
ard pass; with

            
 the jester on

              
 the sidelines

    
 in a cast
            
The half time 

            
air was sweet 

              
perfume, while

            
 the sergeants

           
 played a marc

hing tune;
            
we all got up 

            
to dance, but 

             
we never got t

        
he chance. 'Ca

use 
            
the players tr

            
ied to take th

              
e field, but t

            
he marching ba

     
nd refused to 

yield
            
Do you recall 

            
what was revea

             
led, the day t

             
he music died?
           
We started sin

ging      
 
            
Bye-bye, Miss 

            
American Pie, 

             
drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

       
but the 
            
levee was dry.

             
 Them good ole

             
 boys were dri

             
nking whiskey 

         
and rye, singi

ng
            
this'll be the

            
 day that I di

            
e, this'll be 

              
the day that I

 
 die..

             
Oh, and there 

            
we were all in

              
 one place, a 

           
generation los

     
t in space;
            
with no time l

              
eft, to start 

             
again. So come

            
 on, Jack be n

        
imble, jack be

 quick,
            
Jack flash sat

             
 on a candlest

            
ick, 'cause fi

            
re is the devi

         
l's only frien

d.
            
And as I watch

            
ed him on the 

            
stage, my hand

              
s were clenche

       
d in fists of 

rage.
            
No angel born 

            
in hell, could

             
 break that Sa

           
tan’s spell
             
And as the fla

             
mes climbed hi

            
gh into the ni

            
ght, to light 

         
the sacrificia

l rite;
            
I saw Satan la

            
ughing with de

             
light, the day

           
 the music die

   
d.    
        
We were singin

g     
 
            
Bye-bye, Miss 

            
American Pie, 

             
drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

       
but the 
            
levee was dry.

             
 Them good ole

             
 boys were dri

             
nking whiskey 

         
and rye, singi

ng
            
this'll be the

            
 day that I di

            
e, this'll be 

              
the day that I

 
 die..

            
I met a girl w

            
ho sang the bl

       
ues so,
            
I asked her fo

             
r some happy n

            
ews; but she j

              
ust smiled and

  
 turned away.
            
I went down to

            
 the sacred st

             
ore, where I h

             
eard the music

  
 years before,
            
but the man th

             
ere said the m

              
usic wouldn't 

         
play. And in t

he streets
            
the children s

             
creamed, the l

             
overs cried an

          
d the poets dr

eamed.
            
But not a word

            
 was spoken, t

             
he church bell

            
s all were bro

ken.
             
And the three 

           
men I admire m

            
ost: the Fathe

              
r, Son and the

   
 Holy Ghost
             
They caught th

            
e last train f

             
or the coast t

           
he day, the mu

       
sic died.
              
And they were 

                              
singing

            
Bye-bye, Miss 

            
American Pie, 

             
drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

       
but the 
            
levee was dry.

             
 Them good ole

             
 boys were dri

             
nking whiskey 

         
and rye, singi

ng
            
this'll be the

            
 day that I di

            
e, this'll be 

              
the day that I

 
 die.. 

              
And they were 

                              
singing

            
Bye-bye, Miss 

            
American Pie, 

             
drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

       
but the 
            
levee was dry.

             
 Them good ole

             
 boys were dri

             
nking whiskey 

         
and rye, singi

ng
             
this'll be the

           
 day that I di

      
e

Set8