American Pie

  G    D/F#  Em
A long   long time ago...
Am            C
I can still remember
         Em                     D   (D4 D D9 D)
How that music used to make me smile

    G       D/F#    Em
And I knew if I had my chance
     Am                 C
That I could make those people dance
     Em               C           D
And maybe   they'd be happy for a while
Em           Am
But february made me shiver
Em               Am
With every paper I'd deliver.
C       E7m/B   Am
Bad news on the doorstep
C                   D
I couldn't take one more step

  G      D/F#      Em
I can't remember if I cried
       Am              C
When I read about his widowed bride
G             D/F#       Em
But something touched me deep inside
C           D     G
The day the music died

  G   C          G       D
So bye-bye   miss american pie
         G            C
Drove my chevy to the levee
        G         D
But the levee was dry
         G        C                   G          D
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
         Em                        A7
Singin'   this'll be the day that I die
 Em                       D   (D9  D  D4  D  D9  D)
This'll be the day that I die

G   D/F#          Em
Did you write the book of love
       Am                C
And do you have faith in God above
Em            D           (D4  D  D9  D)
If the Bible tells you so?

     G     D/F#     Em
Have you believe in rock 'n roll
    Am          C
Can music save your mortal soul
   Em               C             D
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
        Em                  D
Well   I know that you're in love with him
       Em                D
`cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
    C           E7m/B    Am
You both kicked off your shoe
       C                    D
Man   I dig those rhythm and blues
        G     D/F#     Em
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
       Am                   C
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
    G     D/F#   Em
But I knew I was out of luck
    C       D     G
The day the music died
I started singin'

G   C          G       D
Bye-bye   miss american pie
         G            C
Drove my chevy to the levee
        G         D
But the levee was dry
         G        C                   G          D
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
         Em                        A7
Singin'   this'll be the day that I die
 Em                       D  (D9  D  D4  D  D9  D)
This'll be the day that I die

        G      D/F#          Em
Now for ten years we've been on our own
    Am                C
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
  Em                  D         (D4  D  D9  D)
But that's not how it used to be

         G      D/F#         Em
When the jester sang for the king and queen
     Am               C
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
      Em         Am                D
And a voice that came from you and me
        Em                 D
Oh   and while the king was looking down
    Em              D
The jester stole his thorny crown
    C    E7m/B       Am
The courtroom was adjourned
C                D
No verdict was returned
        G       D/F#   Em
And while lenin read a book of marx
    Am            C
The quartet practiced in the park
    G      D/F#  Em
And we sang dirges in the dark
    C       D     G
The day the music died
We were singing

G   C          G       D
Bye-bye   miss american pie
         G            C
Drove my chevy to the levee
        G         D
But the levee was dry
         G        C                   G          D
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
         Em                        A7
Singin'   this'll be the day that I die
 Em                       D  (D9  D  D4  D  D9  D)
This'll be the day that I die

G      D/F#    Em
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
    Am                    C
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Em               D
Eight miles high and falling fast
G       D/F#   Em
It landed foul on the grass
    Am                  C
The players tried for a forward pass
         Em            Am             D
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
        Em               D
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
      Em                     D
While the sergeants played a marching tune
C       E7m/B    Am
We all got up to dance
        C                D
Oh   but we never got the chance!
           G       D/F#     Em
`cause the players tried to take the field
Am                  C
The marching band refused to yield
G        D/F#      Em
Do you recall what was revealed
    C       D     G
The day the music died?
We started singing
G   C          G       D
Bye-bye   miss american pie
         G            C
Drove my chevy to the levee
        G         D
But the levee was dry
         G        C                   G          D
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
         Em                        A7
Singin'   this'll be the day that I die
 Em                       D  (D9  D  D4  D  D9  D)
This'll be the day that I die

    G        D/F#         Em
Oh   and there we were all in one place
Am           C
A generation lost in space
     Em               D         (D4  D  D9  D)
With no time left to start again
        G           D/F#    Em
So come on: jack be nimble   jack be quick!
Am                  C
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
    Em            Am            D
Cause fire is the devil's only friend
    Em                   D
Oh   and as I watched him on the stage
   Em                     D
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
C       E7m/B    Am
No angel born in hell
      C                   D
Could break that satan's spell
            G            D/F#   Em
And as the flames climbed high into the night
Am                C
To light the sacrificial rite
     G      D/F#     Em
I saw satan laughing with delight
    C       D     G
The day the music died
He was singing

G   C          G       D
Bye-bye   miss american pie
         G            C
Drove my chevy to the levee
        G         D
But the levee was dry
         G        C                   G          D
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
         Em                        A7
Singin'   this'll be the day that I die
 Em                       D
This'll be the day that I die

G       D/F#     Em
I met a girl who sang the blues
    Am                   C
And I asked her for some happy news
Em                      D          (D4  D  D9  D)
But she just smiled and turned away
G      D/F#        Em
I went down to the sacred store
      Am                  C
Where I'd heard the music years before
Em                         Am             D
But the man there said the music wouldn'd play
Em                      D
And in the streets: the children screamed
Em                        D
The lovers cried   and the poets dreamed
C         E7m/B     Am
But not a word was spoken
    C                     D
The church bells all were broken
G       D/F#      Em
And the three men I admire most
    Am                   C
The father   son   and the holy ghost
G               D/F#     Em
They caught the last train for the coast
C           D     G
The day the music died
And they were singing

G   C          G       D
Bye-bye   miss american pie
         G            C
Drove my chevy to the levee
        G         D
But the levee was dry
         G        C                   G          D
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
         Em                        A7
Singin'   this'll be the day that I die
 Em                       D  (D9  D  D4  D  D9  D
This'll be the day that I die
They were singing

G   C          G       D
Bye-bye   miss american pie
         G            C
Drove my chevy to the levee
        G         D
But the levee was dry
     G         C                   G         D
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
         C              D          G  C  G
Singin'   This'll be the day that I d--i--e!!