Mclean - American Pie guitar tab

AMERICAN PIE submitted by:

Don McLean Dave Waite

INTRO:

G D/F# Em7 Am C

A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that

Em D

music used to make me smile.

G D/F# Em7 Am C

I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance and

Em C D

maybe they'd be happy for a while.

Em Am Em Am

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

C G/B Am C D

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

G D/F# Em Am7 D

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

G D/F# Em C D7 G C G

Something touched me deep inside, the day, the music, died.

G C G D

So bye - bye, Miss American Pie,

G C G D

Drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry,

G C G D

Them good ole' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye, singin'

Em A7 Em D7

This'll be the day that I die, This'll be the day that I die.

VERSE:

G Am C Am

Did you write the book of love and do you have faith in God above?

Em D

If the Bible tells you so.

G D/F# Em

Now do you believe in rock and roll

Am7 C

Can music save your mortal soul and

Em A7 D

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 dancing in the gym,

C G A7

You both kicked off your shoes,

C D7

Man I dig those rhythm and blues.

G D/F# Em

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck with a

Am C

Pink carnation and a pick up truck,

G D/F# Em C D7 G C

But I knew I was out of luck the day, the music, died.

G D7 D7

I started singing, Bye - bye..........die

VERSE:2

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

And moss grows fat on a rollin' 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

And a voice that came from you and me.

Oh 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' Bye - bye.....die.

VERSE:3

Helter-skelter in the 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 a cast.

Now that halftime 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. We started singin'...........die.

VERSE:4

And there we were all in one place,

A generation lost in space.

So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick.

Cause 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 break 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'....................die.

OUTRO:

G D/F# Em

I met a girl who sang the blues and I

Am C

Asked her for some happy news,

Em D

But she just smiled and turned away.

G D/F# Em G

I went down to the sacred store where I

Am G/B C

Heard the music years before, but the

Em C D

man there said the music wouldn't play.

Em Am

And in the streets the children screamed,

Em Am

The lovers cried and the poets dreamed.

C G/B Am

But not a word was spoken,

C D

The church bells all were broken.

G D/F# Em G/B

And the three men I admire most,

C D7

The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost,

G D/F# Em

They caught the last train for the coast,

C Am7 D7 G

The day, the music, died.

D7

And they were singin'...............

C D7 G C G

This'll be the day that I die________.

END (finally!)

I'm _not_ going back through that to check the spelling, so I hope it's

okay. If you're a beginner, try playing the D/F# as just a D for now,

but that's the only chord that could possibly be a problem. Other than

that, a pretty easy song! enjoy!

--

***************************************************************************

DAVE S. WAITE # "Watch out where the huskies go

dwaite@uoguelph.ca # And don't you eat that yellow snow."

GO LEAFS # Frank Zappa

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--

***************************************************************************

DAVE S. WAITE # "Watch out where the huskies go

dwaite@uoguelph.ca # And don't you eat that yellow snow."

GO LEAFS # Frank Zappa

***************************************************************************

Please note that even when I used your lines, I shuffled some of them around!

I included the chords as I know them... there are three sets... the one for

the first and last verses, the one for the others, and the one for the chorus.

The chords aren't definitive, but the lyrics pretty much are.

I also interspersed the references that I know of, and included some commentary

on the lyric content at the end. Have fun!

>A long, long time ago

G D Em

>I can still remember

C Am

>How that music used to make me smile

Em D

>And I knew if I had my chance

G D Em

>I could make those people dance, and

C Am

>maybe they'd be happy for awhile

Em A7 D

>But February made me shiver

Em Am

>with every paper I'd deliver

Em Am

>bad news on the doorstep

C G Am

>I couldn't take one more step

C D

>I can't remember if I cried when I

G D Em

>read about his widowed bride [buddy holly]

C D

>but something touched me deep inside

G D Em

>the day the music died.

C D GCG

>(Chorus)

GCGD GCGD GCGD EmAm EmDDDDCDGDCD (some other verses Em D D7)

>So bye bye, Miss American Pie

>Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry

>and them good ol' boys was drinkin' whiskey and rye

>singing "This'll be the day that I die,

>This'll be the day that I die"

>Did you write the book of love?

G Am

>and do you have faith in God above

C Am

>If the Bible tells you so?

Em D

>Now do you believe in rock and roll

G D Em

>can music save your (im)mortal soul [sounds like mortal, but I've seen lyrics

C Am with immortal, and makes sense if you

catch the drift of the song. You can

also hear it once you know it.]

>and can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Em A7 D

>Well I know that you're in love with him

Em D

>cause I saw you dancing in the gym

Em D

>You both kicked off your shoes

C G Am

>Lord I dig them rhythm and blues, Ooo

Em D

>I was a lonely teenage bronkin' buck

G D Em

>with a pink carnation and a pickup truck

C Am

>but I knew I was out of luck

G D Em

>the day the music died

C D G

>I started singing

>(Chorus)

>Now for ten years we've been on our own, and

>moss grows fat on a rolling stone [Rolling stones...]

>but that's not how it used to be

>When The Jester played for the King and Queen [Dylan, Elvis?]

>in a coat he borrowed from James Dean [in Rebel without a Cause]

>and 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 (Lennon?) read a book on Marx [possible "Imagine" reference]

The quartet practiced in the parks [Beatles]

And we sang dirges in the dark

The day the music died

We were singing

>Helter Skelter in a summer swelter [Manson]

the birds[Byrds] flew off for the fallout shelter

>eight miles high and falling fast [and when you touch down...]

to land foul on the grass

>The players tried for a forward pass

>with the Jester on the sidelines in cast [Dylan's cycle crash]

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume [Summer of Love]

>while the sergeants played a marchin tune [Pepper/Beatles done practicing]

>We all got up to dance

>Oh but we never got the chance [well, "good morning" rocked a little...]

>The players tried to take the field

>The marching band refused to yield

>Do you recall what was the deal the day

>the music died?

They were singing...

(chorus)

And there we were all in one place

a g-g-generation lost in space [Who song -- TV show with robot]

with no time left to start again

So come on >Jack be nimble, Jack be quick

>Jack flash sat on candle stick [Stones --- in fact it's a gas]

>Cause fire is the devil's only friend

>And while I watched him on the stage

>My hands were clenched in fists of rage

>No angel born in hell

>could break 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

and he was singing

(chorus)

>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

>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 the most

>the Father, Son and Holy Ghost

>They caught the last plane for the coast

>the day the Music Died

>and they were singin' (Chorus)

As far as I can get it, this is a fairly conservative song about

how music used to be great in the fifties, then some interesting stuff

started happening, but musicians got out of line -- preaching morality

(Dylan with the thorny crown) preaching politics (the Beatles refusing

to yeild the field to the "players" -- who, the politicians?) and

preaching immorality (the Stones, who he REALLY rags on). All this

religous stuff is not just allegorical, I got one of his albums and he's

majorly religous. I don't know, I went to all the trouble learning this

song then I found out it made a point I didn't agree with --- music shouldn't

have serious content. As if the sixties started that trend anyway; only

a baby boomer could have written this song! Still, it's a good song,

and it's fun at parties.

Joanna

===== Things are only impossible until they're not. =====

joanna@gargoyle.uchicago.edu ===== Star Trek: the Next Generation

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Justin T. Huang | jthuang@eniac.seas.upenn.edu

University of Pennsylvania | Kennett Track rules.

Moore School of Electrical Engineering | "America first."

Electrical Engineering '94 | S. O. D. elite

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