DON MCLEAN - American Pie guitar tab
American Pie
(McClean)
G D Em
A long, long, time ago
Am C Em D
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
G D Em
And I knew if I had my chance
Am C
That I could make those people dance
Em A7 D
And maybe they’d be happy for a while
Em Am
But February made me shiver
Em Am
With every paper I delivered
C G A7 C D
Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn’t take one more step
G D Em
I can’t remember if I cried
Am D
When I read about his widowed bride
G D Em C D G
But something touched me deep inside the day the music died
So
G C G D
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
G C G D
Drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry
G C G D
Them good old boys drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Em A7
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
Em D7
This’ll be the day that I die
G Am
Did you write the book of love
C Am
And do you have faith in God above
Em D
If the bible tells you so
G D Em
Now, do you believe in Rock’n’Roll?
Am C
Can music save your mortal soul?
Em A7 D
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Em Am
Well, I know that you’re in love with him
Em Am
‘Cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym
C G A7
You both kicked off your shoes
C D
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
G D Em
I was a lonely teen-aged broncin’ buck
Am C
With a pink carnation and a pick up truck
G D Em
But I knew I was out of luck
C D G C G
The day the music died
D7
We started singin’
Now, for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows flat out 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
Oh and while the King was lookin’ down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The court room was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lennon read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the parks
And we sang durgess in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin’
Helter Skelter in summer swelter
The birds flew off in a fall out shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul out on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sideline in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance but we never got the chance
‘Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died
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 candle stick
‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in hell could break that Satan spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial right
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin’
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
And 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
And 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 admired most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry
Them good old boys drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry
Them good old boys drinkin’ whiskey and rye
C D7 G C G
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
