Start
Verse
G D Em
A long long time ago
Am C C
I can still remember ■ how that music
Em D
Used to make me smile ■
G D Em Em7
And I knew if I had my chance ■
Em Am C
That I could make those people dance
Em C D 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 Bm Am7 Am
Bad news on the doorstep ■
C D D
I couldn't take one more step ■
D Em
I can't remember if I cried
C D G
When I read about his widowed bride ■
Em Em
Something touched me deep inside ■
C D D G G G7 G
The ■ day the music ■ died ■ ■ ■
Chorus
C G D
So byebye ■ Miss American Pie
G C G D
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
G C G D
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em A7 Am
Singin' This'll be the day that I die ■
Em D D7
This'll be the day that I die ■
Verse
G Am
■ Did you write the book of love
C Am Em
And do you have faith in God above ■
D 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 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
Chorus
C Am
You both kicked off your shoes
C D
Man I dig those rhythm and blues
G D Em
I was a lonely teenage bronckin' buck
Am C
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
G D Em
But I knew I was out of luck
C D G C
The day the music died ■
G D G C D
I started singin' byebye ■ Miss American Pie
G C G D
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
G C G D
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em Am
Singin' This'll be the day that I die
Em D D7
This'll be the day that I die ■
G Am
Now for ten years we've been on our own
C Am
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
Em D D
But ■ that's not how it used to be ■
Verse
G D Em
When the jester sang for the king and queen
Am C
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
Em Am A7 D 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 G Am A7
The courtroom was adjourned ■
C D
No verdict was returned
Chorus
G Em
And while Lenin read a book ■ on Marx
Am C
A quartet practiced in the park
G Em
And we sang dirges ■ in the dark
C D G C
The day the music died ■
G D G C C D
We were singin' byebye ■ Miss American Pie
G C G D
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
G C G D
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em Am
Singin' This'll be the day that I die
Em D D
This'll be the day that I die ■
Verse
G Am C
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
C Am Em
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Em D D
Eight miles high and falling fast ■
G Em
It landed foul on the grass
Am C
The players tried for a forward pass
Em Am D D
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast ■
Em D
Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
Em D
While sergeants played a marching tune
C G Am
We all got up to dance ■
C D
Oh but we never got the chance
G Em
'cause the players tried to take the field
Am C
The marching band refused to yield
G Bm Em
Do you recall what was revealed
C D G C
The day the music died ■
Chorus
G D G C D
We started singin' byebye ■ Miss American Pie
G C G D
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
G D
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em Am
Singin' This'll be the day that I die
Verse
Em D D
This'll be the day that I die ■
G Am
Oh and there we were all in one place
C Am
A generation lost in space
Em D D
With no time left to start again ■
G Em Em7
So come on Jack be nimble Jack be quick ■
Am C
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
Em A7 D 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 Am7
No angel born in Hell
C D
Could break that Satan spell
G D Em7
And as the flames climbed high into the night
Chorus
Am C
To light the sacrificial ■ rite
G D Em
I saw Satan laughing with delight
C D G C
The day the ■ music died ■
G D G C D
He was singin' byebye ■ Miss American Pie
G C D
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
G D
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em Am
Singin' This'll be the day that I die
Em Em7 D D G
This'll be the day that I die ■ ■
Verse
D Em Em
I met a girl who sang the blues ■
C C
And I asked her for some happy news ■
Em D G
But she just smiled and turned away ■
Em
I went down to the sacred store
Am Bm C Em
Where I'd heard the music years ■ before ■
Em C D
But the man there said the music ■ wouldn't play ■
Em7 Am7 Am
And in the streets the children screamed ■
Em Am C
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed ■
G Am G
But not a word ■ was spoken ■
C D
The church bells all were broken ■
G Em C
And the three men I admire most ■
C D D
The Father Son and the Holy Ghost ■
G D Em D
They caught the last train for the coast
C D D G
The day the music ■ died ■
G G C D
And they were singin' ■ byebye ■ Miss American Pie
D G C G D D
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry ■
G C G D D
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey ■ and rye ■
Em A7 A7
Singin' This'll be the day that I die ■
Em D7 D
This'll be the day that I die ■
Chorus
D G C G D D
They were singin' ■ byebye ■ Miss American ■ Pie ■
G C G D
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
G C G D
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
C D G C G
Singin' This'll be the day that I die ■ ■
End