AMERICAN PIE

 

      A long time ago 

I can still remember 

How that music used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance 

That I could make those people dance 

And maybe they'd be happy for a while 

But February made me shiver 

With every paper I'd deliver 

Bad news on the doorstep 

I couldn't take one more step 

I can't remember if I cried 

When I read about his widowed bride 

But something touched me deep inside 

The day the music died 

...

So bye, bye Miss American Pie 

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 

And them good old boys were drinking 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 

And do you have faith in God above 

If the Bible tells you so? 

Now do you believe in rock and roll? 

Can music save your mortal soul? 

And can you teach me how to dance real slow? 

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

'cause I saw you dancing in the gym 

You both kicked off your shoes 

Man, I dig those rhythm and blues 

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck 

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck 

But I knew I was out of luck 

The day the music died 

I started singing

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye 

Singing this'll be the day that I die 

This'll be the day that I die 

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

And moss grows fat 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 

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 singing 

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye 

Singing this'll be the day that I die 

This'll be the day that I die 

Helter skelter in a summer swelter 

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter 

Eight miles high and falling fast 

Landed foul on the grass 

The players tried for a forward pass 

With the Jester on the sidelines in a cast 

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume 

While sergeants played a marching tune 

We all got up to dance 

Oh, 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 singing

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye 

Singing this'll be the day that I die 

This'll be the day that I die 

Oh, 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 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 singing

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye 

Singing this'll be the day that I die 

This'll be the day that I die 

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 admire most 

The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 

They caught the last train for the coast 

The day the music died 

And they were singing

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye 

Singing this'll be the day that I die 

This'll be the day that I die

they were singing

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 

And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye 

Singing this'll be the day that I die