GD/F#Em
A long, long time ago
AmCEmD
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
GD/F#Em
And I knew if I had my chance
AmCEmCD
That I could make those people dance and maybe they'd be happy for a while
EmAmEmAm
But February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver
CG/BAmCD
Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step
GD/F#EmAm7D
I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride
GD/F#Em
Something touched me deep inside
CDG
The day the music died
ย
GCGD
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
GCGD
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
GCGD
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
EmA7EmD7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
ย
GAm
Did you write the book of love
CAmEmD
And do you have faith in god above, if the bible tells you so?
GD/F#Em
Do you believe in rock and roll
Am7CEmA7D
Can music save your mortal soul and can you teach me how to dance real slow?
EmDEmD
Well I know that you're in love with him 'cuz I saw you dancin' in the gym
CG/BA7CD7
You both kicked off your shoes, man I dig those rhythm and blues
GD/F#EmAmC
I was a lonely teenage bronckin' buck with a pink carnation and a pickup truck
GD/F#EmCD7GCGD
But I knew I was out of luck the day the music died, I started singin'
ย
GCGD
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
GCGD
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
GCGD
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
EmA7EmD7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
ย
GAm
Now for ten years we've been on our own
CAmEmD
and moss grows fat on a rolling stone but that's not how it used to be
GD/F#Em
When the jester sang for the king and queen
Am7CEmA7D
in a coat he borrowed from James Dean in a voice that came from you and me
EmDEmD
Oh, and while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown
CAmCD7
The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned
GD/F#EmAmC
And while Lennon read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park
GD/F#EmCD7GCGD
And we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died, we were singin'
ย
GCGD
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
GCGD
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
GCGD
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
EmA7EmD7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
ย
GAm
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
CAmEmD
the birds flew off with a fallout shelter, eight miles high and fallin' fast
GD/F#Em
It landed foul on the grass
Am7CEmA7D
the players tried for a forward pass, with the jester on the sidelines in a cast
EmDEmD
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume, while sergeants played a marching tune
CAmCD7
We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance
GD/F#EmAmC
'Cuz the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield
GD/F#EmCD7GCGD
Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died, we started singin'
ย
GCGD
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
GCGD
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
GCGD
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
EmA7EmD7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
ย
GAm
And there we were all in one place
CAmEmD
a generation lost in space, with no time left to start again
GD/F#EmAmC
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candle
EmA7D
stick, 'cuz fire is the devil's only friend
EmDEmD
And as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage
CAmCD7
No angel born in Hell could break that Satan's spell
GD/F#EmAmC
And as the flames climbed high into the night to light the sacrificial rite
GD/F#EmCD7GCGD
I saw Satan laughing with delight the day the music died, he was singin'
ย
GCGD
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
GCGD
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
GCGD
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
EmA7EmD7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
ย
GD/F#Em
I met a girl who sang the blues
AmCEmD
And I asked her for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away
GD/F#Em
I went down to the sacred store
AmCEmCD
Where I'd heard the music years before, but the man there said the music wouldn't play
EmAmEmAm
But in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed
CAmCD
But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken
GD/F#EmAmCD7
And the three men I admire most, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
GD/F#EmCD7G
They caught the last train for the coast the day the music died,
ย
And they were singin'
ย
GCGD
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
GCGD
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
GCGD
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
EmA7EmD7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
GCGD
They were singin' bye, bye Miss American Pie
GCGD
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
GCGD
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
CD7GCG
Singin' this will be the day that I die