[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 tha

      
t if I had my 

chance,
            
That I could m

             
ake those peop

             
le dance and m

             
aybe they'd be

            
 happy for a w

hile

[Instrumental]
(absolute, not
e|------------
B|----------16
G|-------15---
D|-13-17------
A|------------
E|------------

 relative to c
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-15----------|
----17-13-17-|
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apo)
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-13-----------
----17-13-15-1
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--------15-| x4
3-17-13----|
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[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?
            
Now do you bel

        
ieve in rock a

nd roll
           
Think that mus

*            
ic save your m

              
ortal soul if 

            
you will teach

            
 me how to dan

        
ce real slow?

[Verse 3]
            
Well, I know t

              
hat you're in 

             
love 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 m

        
usic died, I s

tarted singin'

[Chorus]
            
Bye, bye Miss 

        
American Pie
             
Drove my Chevy

             
 to the levy b

             
ut the levy wa

  
s 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

[Instrumental]
(relative to c
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G|------------
D|-0--------0-
A|------------
E|------------

apo)
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-3--------3--|
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-2-h3p2p0-2--0
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--2--0--------
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| x2
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[Verse 4]
            
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
             
Then I went do

         
wn to the sacr

ed store
          ()             ()  ()             ()                ()
            
Where I'd hear

             
d the music ye

              
ars before, bu

            
t the man ther

           
e said the mus

ic
         
wouldn't play

[Verse 5]
            
Well, now in t

              
he streets the

            
 children scre

            
amed, the love

              
rs cry and the

 
 poets dream
            
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,

We started sin

gin'

(Chorus x2)


We started sin

gin'

We started sin

gin'

We started sin

gin'

We started sin

gin'