[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]

            
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

              
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 s

tarted 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


[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
           
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, w

  
e were 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


[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
             
'Cuz the playe

            
rs tried to ta

             
ke the field, 

            
the marching b

      
and refused to

 yield
            
Do you recall 

            
what was the f

             
eel the day th

            
e music died, 

   
   we started 

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


[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 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 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]

            
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
            
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.