* = strum once
The C minor chord which is played in verse 4 may be a mistake but it is on the recording.


[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 knew 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]

            
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 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 '

           
cuz I saw you 

         
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

              
kin' buck with

            
 a pink carnat

          
ion and a pick

up truck
         
But I knew I w

            
as out of luck

             
 the day the m

         
usic 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' 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 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 Lenn

        
in read a book

             
 on Marx, the 

           
quartet practi

ced in the par

k
           
And we sang di

          
rges in the da

             
rk the day the

          
 music died,  

        
 we were singi

n'


[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


[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 the half-t

             
ime air 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
             
'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 started s

ingin'


[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


[Verse 5]

             
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 sin

gin'


[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


[Verse 6]

         
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,
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' 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 sing

            
in' bye, bye M

            
iss American P

ie
             
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