American Pie

1. A long, long time ago,

I can still remember how that music used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance,

That I could make those people dance and maybe they'd be happy for a while

Em Am Em Am

But February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver

Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride

Something touched me deep inside

The day the music died

R: So bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry

And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye

Em A7 Em D7

Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die

2. Did you write the book of love

And do you have faith in god above,

if the bible tells you so?

Do you believe in rock and roll

Can music save your mortal soul

and can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well I know that you're in love with him

'cuz I saw you dancin' in the gym

You both kicked off your shoes,

man I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck

with a pink carnation and a pickup truck

But I knew I was out of luck

the day the music died, I started singin'

R:

3. Now for ten years we've been on our own,

and moss grows fat on a rolling stone

but that's not how it used to be

When the jester sang for the king and queen

in a coat he borrowed from James Dean

in a voice that came from you and me

And while the king was looking down,

the jester stole his thorny crown

The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned

And while Lenin read a book on Marx,

the quartet practiced in the park

And we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died, we were

singin'

R:

Helter skelter in a summer swelter

the birds flew off with a fallout shelter,

eight miles high and fallin' fast

It landed foul on the grass

the players tried for a forward pass,

with the jester on the sidelines in cast

Now at halftime there was sweet perfume,

while sergeants played a marching tune

We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance

'Cuz the players tried to take the field,

the marching band refused to yield

Do you recall what was the feel the day the music died, we

started singin'

R:

4. And there we were all in one place,

a generation lost in space, with no time left to start again

So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick,

'cuz fire is the devil's only friend

And as I watched him on the stage,

my hands were clenched in fists of rage

No angel born in Hell could bread that Satan's spell

And as the flames climbed high

into the night to light the sacrificial rite

I saw Satan laughing with delight the day the music died, he was singin'

R:

5. I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news,

but she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store

Where I'd heard the music years before,

but the man there said the music wouldn't play

But in the streets the children screamed,

the lovers cried and the poets dreamed

But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most,

the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost

They caught the last train for the coast the day the music

died, And they were singin'

R: (2x)