Don McLean - American Pie

Don McLean - American Pie

Verse 1
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 bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

{Refrain}

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Verse 2
Did you write the Book of Love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so
Do you believe in rock n' 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 dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm & 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 singin'

{Refrain}

Verse 3
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
When the Jester sang for the King and Queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
In 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 singin'

{Refrain}


Verse 4
Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling 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
We started singing

{Refrain}

Verse 5
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 devils 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 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

{Refrain}

Verse 6
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
And they were singin'

{Refrain}

Bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die

They were singin'
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die

Note: I have used the lyrics from Don's own website, though I have never got full confirmation that these are entirely accurate i.e the Lenin / Lennon references etc.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Don
• McLean
• American
• Pie
• classic
• rock
• lyrics

[DiogoCysne]

Mr. McLean, we've got Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana, Rebbeca Black, Justin Bieber... trust me, today is the day music died.

[ImprudentCore]

R.I.P. To those who lost their lives. Today is the day the music died...

[MrBull419]

Man memories, I was 14 when this song came out, I smoked a joint and celebrated life, and love, I miss all my friends from my Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan, they were the best times of my life, love you all !

[DiogoCysne]

@reeceap92 Oh, God, great! So it's one less to bother! :D

[reeceap92]

@DiogoCysne Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus are the same person -.-"

[Garth53035]

Its my number 1 song in world! lol its awesome!

[Darkshift317]

Easily one of the best American songs ever written, this song will live on for ages to come as one of the best.

[5urrealk1ller]

Thank you for sharing this, and in such excellent quality. One of the most enjoyable moments in my young life was when two buddies and I got home after a night of partying (at about age 16, in the early eighties, in the Bay Area), and this came on over the SF rock station (either KMEL or KFOG) just before we were going to get out of the car and head to our respective homes in the neighbourhood, so we, instead, remained in the car singing along to the classic tune.

[lunitic45]

i like alot of music like rap and techno, dubstep, but i still think oldies are the best

[danalovesjoe5555]

when did the music make anyone smile . . . no one has ever smiled

[dca051868]

@TheOldpoop and thankfully we have lived that era not today and how blessed we are to remember the music of those decades from early 60s, 70s,80s and 90s where the music are very soulful and with a heart! What a sound tract of our lives!!

[Polyprid]

When he talks about Satan he is referring to to Mick Jagger at Altamont. "No angel born in hell (the hell's angels) could break that Satan's spell." The angels were working security at the concert when Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death and Jagger was prancing all around the stage...this song is so beautiful in so many ways. It's not just about the death of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens & the Big Bopper, but the death of the illusion of innocence in America.