American Pie Chords by Don McLean

[Chorus]
                 G  
A long long time ago
C                             Em    D                    
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
G D             Em              Am                      C           
■ And I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance
Em                  C     D           G
And maybe they'd be happy for a while ■


[Intro]
Am D Em           A7            
■  ■ But February made me shiver
Em               Am         
With every paper I'd deliver
C   G           Am7      G
Bad news on the doorstep ■
C                   D        
I couldn't take one more step
  D                        
I can't remember if I cried
G                     D            
When I read about his widowed bride
G   D                         C     
But something touched me deep inside
            D     G   
The day the music died


[Verse]
   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 old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em                                A7  Em
Singin' This'll be the day that I die ■ 
                          D7 
This'll be the day that I die
G                   Am                  C                 Am  A7    Am
■ Did you write the book of love and do you have faith in God above ■ 
Em              D7           D
■  If the Bible tells you so ■
       G   D          Em                Am         C               
Now do you believe in rock and roll can music save your mortal soul
E7  Em7           A7              D        
And can you teach me how to dance real slow
       Em7                 D            
Well I know that you're in love with him
       Em7       D                 
'cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
C        G               Am   
You both kicked off your shoes
      C                    D    
Man I dig those rhythm and blues


[Chorus]
        G      D       Em7          
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
       A7   Am              C           
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
G     D          Em         
But I knew I was out of luck
    C       Dsus4 G    C
The day the music died ■
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 old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
            Em      Em7               A7 
And singin' This'll be the day that I die
Em7                       D  
This'll be the day that I die


[Verse]
        G                           Am      C                           A7   
Now for ten years we've been on our own and moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
Em7                   D         
But that's not how it used to be
         G                   Em7                 Am               C              
When the jester sang for the king and queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean
      Em7        A7                D 
And a voice that came from you and me
       Em7            D               
Oh and while the king was looking down
Em7        Em    D               
The jester stole his thorny crown
C   G             Am7      
The courtroom was adjourned
C              D       
No verdict was returned


[Chorus]
    G           D      Em          
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
  A7      C                    
A quartet practiced in the park
    G       Em                
And we sang dirges in the dark
    C       Dsus4 G    C
The day the music died ■
G       D       G      C    G        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 old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em                                Am  A7
Singin' This'll be the day that I die ■ 
Em                        D  
This'll be the day that I die
G              Am                      C                     Am             
Helter skelter in a summer swelter the birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Em             D                G   
■  Eight miles high and falling fast


[Verse]
          Em                    Am7     Am          C           
It landed foul on the grass the players tried for a forward pass
         Em7           A7             D   
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
        Em7          D                
Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
Em                         D              
While the sergeants played a marching tune


[Chorus]
C                Am    C
We all got up to dance ■
                        D     
Oh but we never got the chance
           D                              
'cause the players tried to take the field
    Am            C          G    
The marching band refused to yield
       D      G    Em7         
Do you recall what was revealed
    C       Dsus4 D G    C
The day the music ■ died ■
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         C                      G           D  
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
    Em                                A7 
And singin' This'll be the day that I die
Em                        D  
This'll be the day that I die
G                        A7 Am        C            Am           
Oh and there we were all in one place a generation lost in space
Em      Em7          D          
With no time left to start again
        G       D  Em                   Am   Am7          C            
So come on Jack be nimble Jack be quick Jack Flash sat on a candlestick


[Verse]
Em                              D     
'cause fire is the devil's only friend
       Em7              D             
Oh and as I watched him ■ on the stage
   Em7                 D           D7  
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
C                Am7 
No angel born in Hell
C                        D    
Could break that Satan's spell
           G      D       Em7       Em       
And as the flames climbed high into the night
Am           C               
To light the sacrificial rite
      G D     Em7                  
I saw ■ Satan laughing with delight
    C       Dsus4 G   
The day the music died


[Chorus]
C G       D         
I started singin' it
        G7     C7   G        D7 
Singin' byebye Miss American Pie
         G7           C7            G7           
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
              C7                 G7          D7 
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em                                    A7 
And singin' This'll be the day that I die
Em                        D  
This'll be the day that I die


[Outro]
G         Em7               Am7               C                      
■ I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news
Em                      D          
But she just smiled and turned away


[Bridge]
G D      Em7         Em           Am7             G         C             
■ I went down to the sacred store where I'd heard the music ■ years before
                                 D        Em  
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
                   Am7              Em       E7
And in the streets ■   the children screamed ■ 


[Verse]
Am                             C        
The lovers cried and the poets ■ dreamed
          Bm7  Am7       
But not a word was spoken
C            D                    
■ The church bells all were broken
G               D            Em7  G
■ And the three men I admire most ■
A7         G   D7 G7                 D7                 
The Father Son ■  ■  caught the last train for the coast
    C7      D     D7 G7  
The day the music ■  died
G G7 G G7
■ ■  ■ ■ 
                             C7      G7       C7 D7 
And they were singin' byebye ■  Miss American ■  Pie
         G7           C7            G         D7    
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was ■  dry
         G7       C7                 D7             
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
D       E7                 A7   Em       D7
Singin' This'll be the day that ■  I die ■ 


[Chorus]
                          G7 C7 
This'll be the day that I ■  die
     G7           D7          G7          
They were singin' byebye Miss American Pie
                  C7                G7        D7 
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
     G7            C7   G        D              
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye


[Outro]
    D7      C7      C      D7  G7 C    G7 G      
And singin' This'll be the day ■  that ■  ■ I die