Don McLean
American Pie
[Verse 1: Don McLean]
A long, 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 bridе
But something touched me deep insidе
The day the music died

[Chorus]
So bye, bye, miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys are drinking whiskey and rye
Singing, "This will be the day that I die"
"This will be the day that I die"

[Verse 2: Adam Chance]
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so? (Tells me so)
Now do you believe in rock 'n roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow? (Teach me how to dance real slow)
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' 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
[Chorus]
I started singing, bye, bye, miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys are drinking whiskey and rye
Singing, "This will be the day that I die"
"This will be the day that I die"

[Verse 3: Austin Brown]
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 (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 Lennon read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

[Chorus]
Ah, we were singing, bye, bye, miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys are drinking whiskey and rye
Singing, "This will be the day that I die"
"This will be the day that I die"
[Verse 4: Rob Lundquist]
Helter skelter in a 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 the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the 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?

[Chorus]
We started singing, bye, bye, miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys are drinking whiskey and rye
Singing, "This will be the day that I die"
"This will be the day that I die"

[Verse 5: Tim Foust]
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again (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
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'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
[Chorus]
And he was singing, bye, bye, miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys are drinking whiskey and rye
Singing, "This will be the day that I die"
"This will be the day that I die"

[Verse 6: Don McLean]
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 the holy ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died

[Chorus]
And they were singing, bye, bye, miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys are drinking whiskey and rye
Singing, "This will be the day that I die"
"This will be the day that I die"