American Pie

Don McLean Don McLean

4             
 4          
G D /F♯ Em7 Am C Em D

Voice

 
A long, long time a go I can still re mem ber how that mu sic used to make me smile.

           
            
G D / F♯ Em7 Am C
5


And I knew if I had my chance that I could make those peo ple dance and

                                 
Em C D Em Am Em Am
8

 
may be they['d be hap py for a while. But Feb ru ar y made me shiv er with ev 'ry pa per I'd de liv er.

         
 
            
C G /B Am C D G G / F♯ Em


12

 
Bad news on the door step I could n't take one more step I Can't re mem ber if I cried when I

                         
Am7 D G D / F♯ Em C D7 G C
15


            
read a bout his wid owed bride, Some thing touched me deep in side the day the mu sic died.

         
        
G G C G D G C G D


19

 
  
So bye bye, Miss A mer i can Pie Drove my Chev y to the lev ee but the lev ee was dry. Them

                         
G C G D Em A7


24 To Coda


good ole boys were drink in' whis key and rye Sing in' this 'll be the day that I die,

             
Em D7


28

This 'll be the day that I die.

                      

G Am C Am

   
31

Did you write the book of love And do you have faith in God a bove?
Now for ten years we've been on our own, And moss grows fat on a rol in' stone
Hel ter skel ter in a sum er swel ter, The birds off with a fall out shel ter


        
And there we were all in one place, a gen er a tion lost in space

            
Em D G D / F♯

 
35

If the Bi ble tells you so Now do you be lieve in

But that's not how it used to be When the jes ter sang for the
Eigh miles high and fall ing fast. It lan ded foul

               
With no time left to start a gain So come on: Jack be nim ble,

     
Em Am7 C Em

      
39

rock and roll. Can mu sic save you mor tal soul and can you teach me
king and queen, In a coat he bor rowed from James Dean And a voice that
on the grass. The play ers tried for a forward pass, With the jes ter on

   
Jack be quick Jack flash sat on a can dle stick Cause fi re is the

                  
A7 D Em

 
43

how to dance real slow? Well, I know that you're in

came from you and me, Oh, and while the king was
the side lines in a cast. Now the half time air was

        
dev ils on ly on ly friend, Oh, and as I watched him

         
D Em D

  
47

love with him 'causeI saw you danc in' in the gym, You
look ing down, The jes ter stole his thor ny crown, The
sweet per fume While the sar gents played a mar ching tune. We

        
on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage. No

         
C G A7 C


50

both kicked off your shoes Man, I dig those rhy thm and
court room was a journed No ver dict was re
al got up to dance. Oh, but we ne ver got the
an gel born in hell Could break that sa tans

2
   
               
    
D7 G D / F♯ Em
53

blues. I was a lone y tee age bronc in' buck with a

turned. And while Len on read a book of Marx
chance! 'cause the play ers tried to take the field The mar
spell. And as the flames chimbed high in to the night To

        
            
Am C G D / F♯

 
56

pink car na tion and a pick up truck. But I knew I was out
The quar tet prac ticed in the park And we sang dir ges in the
The mar ching band re fused to yield. Do you re call what was
light the sa cra fi cial rite, I saw Sa tan laugh ing

                 4     
         
   
Em C D7 G C G D7 G D

 
59
1, 2, 3

of luck the day the mu sic died. I start ed sing ing He was sing in'
dark the day the mu sic died. We were sing in'
rev ealed the day the mu sic died. We start ed sing in'
with de light the day the mu sic died.

           

G C G D G C G D G C G D Em A7 Em D7
65

3
                      
   
G D / F♯ Em Am C
76

I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked he for some hap py news, But

           
           
Em D G D / F♯ Em G


78

she just smiled and turned a way. I went down to the sa cred store where I

   
                     
Am G /B C Em C D
81

heard the mus ic years be fore But the man there said the mus sic would n't play. An

               
    
Em Am Em Am

 
84

in the streets the chil dren screamed, the lov ers cried and the po ets dreamed. but

 
                       
C G /B Am C D G D / F♯ Em G/B


86

not a word was spo ken the church bells all were bro ken. And the three men I ad mire most, the

    
               
    
C D7 G D / F♯ Em C Am7 D7 G
89

Fa ther, Son and the Ho ly Ghost, They caught the last train for the coast the day the mus ic died.

      

D7

 
93 D.S. al Coda

 
and they were sing in'

       
       
C D7 G C G
94

This 'll be the day that I die.