American Pie - Don McLean

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American Pie by DON McLEAN: Tabbed by Buenofine Calse
------------

(complete with correct lyrics and acoustic chords)


VERSE 1:

           
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 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 ab

         
out his widowe

d bride
            
Something touc

       
hed me deep in

side,
           
The day the mu

          
sic died...


CHORUS 1:

            
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'

              
ll be the day 

          
that I die, th

              
is will be the

            
 day that I di

e."


VERSE 2:

             
Did you write 

          
the Book of Lo

ve?
             
And do you hav

            
e faith in God

            
 above, if the

       
 Bible tells y

ou so?
            
Do you believe

    
 in rock and r

oll?
           
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  

            
'cause I saw y

           
ou dancin' 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

              
in' buck with 

            
a pink carnati

         
on and a picku

p truck
            
But I knew I w

            
as out of luck

             
, the day the 

         
music died,  I

 started singi

n'


CHORUS 2:

            
"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'

              
ll be the day 

          
that I die, th

              
is will be the

            
 day that I di

e."


VERSE 3:

             
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
            
Oh, and while 

              
the king was l

             
ooking down, t

            
he jester stol

        
e his thorny c

rown
             
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 th

           
e music died, 

   
we were singin

'


CHORUS 3:

            
"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'

              
ll be the day 

          
that I die, th

              
is will be the

            
 day that I di

e."


VERSE 4:

             
Helter-skelter

      
 in a summer s

welter
             
the birds flew

            
 off with a fa

              
llout shelter,

            
 eight miles h

        
igh and fallin

' 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 at halftim

             
e there was sw

              
eet perfume, w

            
hile sergeants

           
 played a marc

hing tune
            
We all got up 

            
to dance, but 

             
we never got t

     
he chance
             
'cause the pla

             
yers tried to 

            
take the field

            
, the marching

        
 band refused 

to yield
            
Do you recall 

            
what was the f

             
eel, the day t

           
he music died?

     
  we started s

ingin'


CHORUS 4;

            
"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'

              
ll be the day 

          
that I die, th

              
is will be the

            
 day that I di

e."


VERSE 5:

             
Oh, and there 

            
we were all in

 one place,
            
a generation l

             
ost in space, 

            
with no time l

       
eft to start a

gain
             
So come on, Ja

             
ck be nimble, 

            
Jack be quick,

           
 Jack Flash sa

       
t on a candles

tick
            
'cause fire is

              
 the devil's o

       
nly friend
            
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 die

   
d,  he was sin

gin'


CHORUS 5:

            
"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'

              
ll be the day 

          
that I die, th

              
is will be the

            
 day that I di

e."


INAL 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 pl

ay
            
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, 

         
the day the mu

    
sic died,

And they were 

singin'


LAST CHORUSES

            
"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'

              
ll be the day 

          
that I die, th

              
is will be the

            
 day that I di

e."

And 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 

            
will be the da

               
y that I die."


~END~

Disclaimer: This is just a modified version from the other contributors with some corrections.

2 Contributors