Tabbed by Todd Christensen

American Pie – Don McClean          140 BPM                              

[Verse]
           
A long, long t


ime ago, 
            
I can still re

             
member how tha

            
t music used t

           (
o make me smil


e
            
And I know if 

  
I had my chanc

e,
            
That I could m

             
ake those peop

             
le dance and m

             
aybe they'd be

             
 happy for a w

          
hile
            
   But Februar

            
y made me shiv

            
er, with every

       
 paper I'd del

iver
            
Bad news on th

            
e doorstep, I 

             
couldn't take 

    
one more step
            
I can't rememb

            
er if I cried 

           
when I read ab

        
out his widowe

d bride
            
Something touc

       
hed me deep in

side
           
The day the mu

      
sic died

[Chorus]
            
So bye, bye Mi

           
ss American Pi

e
             
Drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

             
but the levee 

    
was dry
             
And them good 

             
old boys were 

             
drinkin' whisk

       
ey and rye
            
Singin' this w

              
ill be the day

           
 that I die, t

             
his will be th

             
e day that I d

     
ie

[Verse]
             
  Did you writ

            
e the book of 

love
             
And do you hav

            
e faith in god

            
 above,    if 

             
the bible tell

             
s you so?
             
  Do you belie

      
ve in rock and

 roll
           
Can music save

             
 your mortal s

            
oul and can yo

              
u teach me how

            
 to dance real

         
 slow?
            
Well I know th

             
at you're in l

              
ove with him  

            
'cuz I saw you

         
 dancin' in th

e gym
             
You both kicke

           
d off your sho

             
es, man I dig 

              
those rhythm a

   
nd blues
             
I was a lonely

           
 teenage bronc

              
in' buck with 

            
a pink carnati

         
on and a picku

p truck
            
But I knew I w

            
as out of luck

            
 the day the m

          
usic died,    

  I started si

ngin'

[Chorus]
            
   Bye, bye Mi

           
ss American Pi

e
             
Drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

             
but the levee 

    
was dry
             
And them good 

             
old boys were 

             
drinkin' whisk

       
ey and rye
            
Singin' this w

              
ill be the day

           
 that I die, t

             
his will be th

             
e day that I d


ie

[Verse]
             
Now for ten ye

              
ars we've been

               
 on our own,
             
and moss grows

            
 fat on a roll

              
ing stone but 

            
that's not how

              
 it used to be
             
When the jeste

             
r sang for the

 
 king and quee

n 
           
in a coat he b

             
orrowed from J

              
ames Dean in a

            
 voice that ca

            
me from you an

      
d me
            
And while the 

             
king was looki

             
ng down, the j

             
ester stole hi

  
s thorny crown
             
The courtroom 

           
was adjourned,

             
 no verdict wa

    
s returned
             
And while Leni

           
n read a book 

             
on Marx, the q

             
uartet practic

  
ed in the park
            
And we sang di

            
rges in the da

             
rk the day the

          
 music died,  

  
     we were s

ingin'

[Chorus]
            
So bye, bye Mi

           
ss American Pi

e
             
Drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

             
but the levee 

    
was dry
             
And them good 

             
old boys were 

             
drinkin' whisk

       
ey and rye
            
Singin' this w

              
ill be the day

           
 that I die, t

             
his will be th

             
e day that I d

     
ie

[Verse]
             
Helter skelter

 
 in a summer s

welter
             
the birds flew

            
 off with a fa

              
llout shelter,

            
   eight miles

             
 high and fall

            
in' fast
            
It landed foul

 
 on the grass
           
the players tr

             
ied for a forw

            
ard pass, with

              
 the jester on

            
 the sidelines

           
 in a cast
            
Now the halfti

             
me air was swe

              
et perfume, wh

            
ile sergeants 

         
played a march

ing Tune
            
We all got up 

            
to dance, but 

             
we never got t

   
he chance
             
'Cuz the playe

           
rs tried to ta

              
ke the field, 

            
the marching b

      
and refused to

 yield
            
Do you recall 

            
what was revea

             
led the day th

          
e music died, 

  
     we starte

d singin'

[Chorus]
            
So bye, bye Mi

           
ss American Pi

e
             
Drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

             
but the levee 

    
was dry
             
And them good 

             
old boys were 

             
drinkin' whisk

       
ey and rye
            
Singin' this w

              
ill be the day

           
 that I die, t

             
his will be th

             
e day that I d

     
ie

[Bridge]
             
And there we w

        
ere all in one

 place,
            
a generation l

             
ost in space, 

            
with no time l

             
eft to start a

        
gain
             
So come on Jac

            
k be nimble, J

             
ack be quick, 

           
Jack Flash sat

      
 on a candle 
            
stick, 'cuz 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 Sat

     
an's spell
             
And as the fla

             
mes climbed hi

            
gh into the ni

            
ght to light t

        
he sacrificial

 rite
            
I saw Satan la

            
ughing with de

             
light the day 

           
the music died

   
,     he was s

ingin'

[Chorus]
            
   bye, bye Mi

           
ss American Pi

e
             
Drove my Chevy

             
 to the levee 

             
but the levee 

    
was dry
             
And them good 

             
old boys were 

             
drinkin' whisk

       
ey and rye
            
Singin' this w

              
ill be the day

           
 that I die, t

             
his will be th

             
e day that I d


ie

[Verse]
            
I met a girl w

   
ho sang the bl

ues
            
And I asked he

             
r for some hap

             
py news, but s

             
he just smiled

             
 and turned aw

ay
            
I went down to

     
 the sacred st

ore
            
Where I'd hear

             
d the music ye

              
ars before, bu

            
t the man ther

           
e said the mus

ic
         
wouldn't play
            
But in the str

            
eets the child

              
ren screamed, 

            
the lovers cri

           
ed and the poe

ts dreamed
            
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 th

  
e Holy Ghost
             
They caught th

            
e last train f

             
or the coast t

         
he day the mus

   
ic died,
  
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' whisk

       
ey and rye
            
Singin' this w

              
ill be the day

           
 that I die, t

             
his will be th

             
e day that I d

     
ie

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' whisk

       
ey and rye
             
Singin' this w

            
ill be the day

              
 that I die