American Pie - Don McLean
Version 9 of 9
- American Pie (Chords) (v1)Rating: 4.87 / 5.00
- American Pie (Chords) (v2)Rating: 4.73 / 5.00
- American Pie (Chords) (v3)Rating: 4.86 / 5.00
- American Pie (Chords) (v4)Rating: 4.84 / 5.00
- American Pie (Chords) (v5)Rating: 4.86 / 5.00
- American Pie (Chords) (v6)Rating: 4.79 / 5.00
- American Pie (Chords) (v7)Rating: 4.47 / 5.00
- American Pie (Chords) (v8)Rating: 4.73 / 5.00
Tuning: Standard, E A D G B E
Song: American pie
Artist: Don Mclean
Composer: Don Mclean
Album: American pie
Tabbed by DJ 10th Sept 2019
To hear the song, copy and paste this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_TFkut1PM
Live performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgScpzXzupA
PLEASE NOTE:
The live video clearly shows Don playing the passing G/F# chord,
which I often see as a D/F# in other tabs and sheet music.
The C/B is also a passing bass note, so not intended to be played
as a full chord.
= 320003 = xx0212 = x22000
= 2x0003 = xx0213 = xx0000
= 022000 = xx0210 = xx0233
= x02210 = 332010 = x02220
= x32010 = x02020 = x02230
= 022000 = x2x010 = x02000
Please take a second to scroll down to the bottom of the page
and select a star rating for this tab
======================================================================
[Verse 1]
A long, long t
ime ago,
I can still re
- member how
that music...
...Used to ma
ke me smile,
And I knew if
#
I had my chanc
e,
That I could m
ake those peop
le dance,
And maybe they
'd be happy fo
r a while
[Pre-Chorus]
But Februa
ry made me shi
ver, with
every paper I'
d deliver,
Bad news on th
e doorstep, I
couldn't take
one more step,
I can't re - m
/
ember if I cri
ed when I read
about his wid
owed bride,
But something
touched me dee
p inside,
The day ...the
music ...died
...
[Chorus]
So bye, bye Mi
ss A - merican
Pie,
Drove my Chevy
to the levee,
but the levee
was dry,
And them good
old boys were
drinking whisk
ey and rye,
Singing, "This
'll be the day
that I die,
This'll be the
day that I di
e!"
[Verse 2]
Did you wri
te the Book of
Love,
And do you hav
e faith in God
above,
...If the Bi
ble tells you
so?
Now, do you be
- lieve in ro
ck and roll?
Can music sa
ve your mortal
soul,
And ...can y
ou teach me...
...How to dan
ce real slow--
--------?
[Pre-Chorus]
Well, I know t
hat you're in
love with him,
'Cause I ...s
aw you dancing
in the gym,
You both kicke
d off your sho
es,
...Man, I di
g those rhythm
and blue----o
os,
I was a lonely
teenage bronc
ing buck,
With a pink ca
rnation and a
pickup truck,
But I knew I w
#
as out of luck
, the day the
music died,
I started s
ing - ing...
[Chorus]
Bye, bye Miss
A - merican Pi
e,
Drove my Chevy
to the levee,
but the levee
was dry,
Them good old
boys were drin
king whiskey a
nd rye,
And sing - ing
, "This'll be
the day that I
die,
This'll be the
day that I di
e!"
[Verse 3]
Now, for ten y
ears we've bee
n on our own,
And moss grows
fat on a ..
.rolling stone
,
But ...that's
not how it us
ed to be,
When the jeste
r sang for the
king and quee
n,
In a coat he
borrowed from
James Dean,
In a voice tha
t came from yo
u and me------
------
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, and ...w
hile the king
was looking do
wn,
The jester sto
le his ...th
orny crown,
The courtroom
was ad - journ
ed, ...no ver
dict was re -
turned,
And while Lenn
on read a book
on Marx,
The quartet p
racticed in th
e park, and we
sang dirges .
..in the dark,
The day the mu
sic died,
we were s
inging...
[Chorus]
Bye, bye Miss
A - merican Pi
e,
Drove my Chevy
to the levee
but the levee
was dry,
Them good old
boys were drin
king whiskey a
nd rye,
And singing, "
This'll be the
day that I di
e,
This'll 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 mil
es high and fa
lling fast----
--------,
It landed f
/
oul on the gra
ss, the player
s tried for a
forward pass,
With the jeste
r on the sidel
ines ...in a c
ast--------
[Pre -Chorus]
Now, the half-
time air was
...sweet perfu
me,
While ...the
sergeants play
ed a marching
tune,
We all got up
to dance, oh,
but we ...ne
ver got the ch
ance,
'Cause the pla
yers tried to
take the field
,
The marching
band re - fuse
d to yield,
Do you re -
call what was
revealed the
day the music
died?
We started
singing...
[Chorus]
Bye, bye Miss
A - merican Pi
e,
Drove my Chevy
to the levee,
but the levee
was dry,
Them good old
boys were dri
nking whiskey
and rye,
And singing, "
This'll be the
day that I di
e,
This'll be the
day that I di
e!"
[Verse 5]
Oh, and ...the
re we were, al
l in one place
,
A ...gene - r
/
ation lost in
space,
With no time l
eft to start a
gain,
So, come on, J
ack be nimble,
Jack be quick
,
Jack Flash sat
on a candlest
ick,
'Cause ...fi
re is the devi
l's only frien
d---------,
Oh, and ...as
I watched him
on the stage,
My hands were
clenched in fi
sts of rage,
No angel born
in hell ...c
ould break tha
t Satan's spel
l,
And as the
flames climbed
high in - to
the night,
To light the s
acri - ficial
rite,
I saw ...Sa
tan laughing w
ith delight,
The day the m
usic died,
he was si
nging...
[Chorus]
Bye, bye Miss
A - merican Pi
e,
Drove my Chevy
to the levee,
but the levee
was dry,
Them goo
d old boys wer
e drinking whi
skey and rye,
And singing, "
This'll be the
day that I di
e,
This'll be the
day that I di
e!"
[Verse 6]
I met a gi
rl who sang th
e blues,
And I asked he
r for some ..
.happy news,
...But she ju
st smiled and
turned away,
I went down to
the sacred st
ore,
Where I'd hear
d the music ye
ars before, bu
t, the man the
re,
Said the music
wouldn't play
-----------,
And in the
streets the c
hildren scream
ed,
The lovers
cried and the
poets dreamed
,
But not a
word was spoke
n,
...The church
bells all were
broken,
And the three
men I ad - m
ire most,
...The Fathe
r, Son, and th
e Holy Ghost,
They caught th
e last train f
or the coast,
...The day
...the music .
..died, and t
hey were singi
ng...
[Chorus]
Bye, bye Miss
A - merican Pi
e,
Drove my Chevy
to the levee,
but the levee
was dry,
Them good old
boys were drin
king whiskey a
nd rye,
Singing, "This
'll be the day
that I die,
This'll be the
day that I di
e!"
They were sing
- ing...
[Coda]
Bye, bye Miss
A - merican Pi
e,
Drove my Chevy
to the levee,
but the levee
was dry,
Them good old
boys were drin
king whiskey a
nd rye
Singing, "This
'll be the day
that I die---
-------!"