"American Pie" - Don McLean

(135BPM)
Free Tempo :

G D/F# Em(1,2)
A long, long time ago
Am(1,2) C(1,2) Em D-D4-D9-D
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
G D/F# Em
And I knew if I had my chance,
Am(1,2) C(1,2)
That I could make those people dance
Em(1,2) C(1,2) D-D4-D9-D
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
Em(1,2) Am(1,2)
But February made me shiver,
Em(1,2) Am(1,2)
With every paper I'd deliver
C G/B Am C/G D
Bad news_ _on__ the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step
G D/F#  Em Am7 D
I can't remember if I cried, When I read about his widowed bride
G D/F#  Em
But something touched me deeeep inside
C/G D7 G
The day the music died…

Rhytm Tempo:

CHORUS(a bit slowly)

G(1i,2i) C(1i,2i) G(1i,2i) D(1i,2i)

So bye, bye, Miss American Pie
G(1,2) C(1,2) G(1,2) D(1,2)
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry,
G(1,2) C(1,2) G(1,2) D(1,2)
And good old boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye
Em(1,2,3,4) A7(1,2,3,4)
Singin' this will be the day that I die
(inTEMPO)
Em D -Dsus2 -Dsus4-D
This will be the day that I die

Versre 2:
G Am
Did you write the book of love
C’ Am Em D|D|
And do you have faith_ in God above, If the Bible tells you so?
G D/F# Em
Now do you believe in rock and roll?
Am C Em A7 D|D|
Can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Em  D Em D
Well, I know that you're in love with him, Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
C G/B A7 C D7
You both kicked off your shoes, man, I dig those rhythm and blues
G D/F# Em Am C
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck with a pink carnation and a pickup truck
G D/F# Em C D7 G -C G D
But I knew that I was out of luck the day the music died , I started singing
singing ,

CHORUS :
bye, bye, Miss American Pie : G-C|G-D|
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry : G-C|G-D|
And Good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye : G-C|G-D|
Singin' this'll be the day that I die : Em’’’’|A7’’’’
This'll be the day that I die : Em’’’’| D -Dsus2 -Dsus4-D

VERSE3:

G Am
Now for ten years we've been on our own
C’ Am Em D-Dsus2-Dsus4-D
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone, But that's not how it used to be
G D/F# Em
When the jester sang for the king and queen
Am C Em A7
D’’’’
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean, And a voice that came from you and me
Em D Em D
Oh, and while the king was looking down, The jester stole his thorny crown
C G A7 C D7
The courtroom was adjourned, No verdict was returned
G D/F# Em
And while Lennin read a book on Marx
Am C G D/F# Em
The quartet practiced in the park, And we sang dirges in the dark
C D7 G-C-G D
The day the music died, We were singing

CHORUS 1t.
Verse 4:
G Am
Helter skelter in a summer swelter,
C’ Am Em D-Dsus2-Dsus4-D
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter, Eight miles high and falling faaaast
G D/F# Em
It landed foul on the grass
Am C Em A7 D’’’’
The players tried for a forward pass, With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Em D
Now the halftime air was sweet perfume,
Em D
While the sergeants played a marching tune
C G A7 C D
We all got up to dance, Oh, but we never got the chance
G D/F# Em
'Cause the players tried to take the field
Am C
The marching band refused to yield
G D/F# Em C D7 G-C-G D
Do you recall what was revealed, The day the music died? We started singing

CHORUS 1t.

Verse 5:
G Am
Oh, and there we were aaall in one place
C Am Em D-Dsus2-Dsus4-D
A generation lost in space, With no time left to start again
G D/F# Em
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Am C Em A7 D-Dsus2-Dsus4-D
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick, Cause fire is the devil's only friend
Em D Em D
Oh, And as I watched him on the stage, My hands were clenched in fists of rage
C G A7 C D
No angel born in Hell, Could break that Satan's spell,
G D/F# Em
And as the flames climbed high into the night
Am C G D/F# Em
To light the sacrificial rite, I saw Satan laughing with delight,
C D7 G-C-G D
The day the music died, He was singing

CHORUS 1t.

Verse 6:
G D/F# Em
I met a girl who sang the blues
Am C Em D-Dsus2-Dsus4-D
And I asked her for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away,
G D/F# Em
I went down to the sacred store
Am C
Where I'd heard the music years before
Em C D-Dsus2-Dsus4-D
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
Em Am
And in the streets, the children screamed
Em Am
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed,
C G/B Am C D
But not a word was spoken, The church bells all were broken
G D/F# Em
And the three men I admire most
Am C
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
G D/F# Em
They took the last train for the coast,
C D7 G-C-G D
The day the music died, And they were singing

CHORUS(a bit slowly) 2X

G(1i,2i) C(1i,2i) G(1i,2i) D(1i,2i)

So bye, bye, Miss American Pie
G(1,2) C(1,2) G(1,2) D(1,2)
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry,
G(1,2) C(1,2) G(1,2) D(1,2)
And good old boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye
Em(1,2,3,4) A7(1,2,3,4)
Singin' this will be the day that I die
(inTEMPO)
Em D -Dsus2 -Dsus4-D
This will be the day that I die

for the 2nd time:

D C D G -C-G
Singin' this will be the day that I die… ||