BYE, BYE, MISS AMERICAN PIE

Composed by Don MacLean

A (G)long (D)long (Em)time ago (Am)I can still re(C)member
How that (Am)music used to make me (D)smile,
And I (G)knew (D)if I (Em)had my chance
That (Am)I could make those (C)people dance
And (Em)maybe they'd be (C)happy for a(D)while

But (Em)February made me (Am)shiver,
With (Em)every paper I'd (Am)deliver,
(C)Bad news on the (Am)door step,
I (C)couldn't take one more (D)step,
I (G)can't (D)remember (Em)if I cried
When I (Am)read about His (D)widowed bride,
But (G)something (D)touched me (Em)deep inside,
The (C)day the (D)music (G)died, so...

Chorus:
(G)Bye, (C)bye, Miss A(G)merican (D)Pie,
I drove my (G)Chevy to the (C)levy but the (G)levy was (D)dry
Them (G)good ol' (C)boys were drinking (G)whisky and (D)rye
Singing, (Em)"this'll be the day that I (A)die"
(Em)"This'll be the day that I (D7)die"

(G)Did you write the (Am)Book of Love
And do (C)you have faith in (Am)God above,
(Em)If the Bible (D7)tells you so,
Now do (G)you be(G/F#)lieve in (Em)rock and roll?
Can (Am)music save your (C)mortal soul?
And (Em)can you teach me (Am)how to dance (D)real slow?

Well, I (Em)know that you're in (D)love with him,
Because I (Em)saw you dancing (D)in the gym,
You (C)both kicked (C/B)off your (Am)shoes
And I (C)dig those rhythm (D)blues,
I was a (G)lonely (G/F#)teenage (Em)broncin' buck,
With a (Am)pink carnation and a (C)pick-up truck,
But I (G)knew I (G/F#)was (Em)out of luck,
The (C)day the (D7)music (G)died

Chorus:
(G)Bye, (C)bye, Miss A(G)merican (D)Pie,
I drove my (G)Chevy to the (C)levy but the (G)levy was (D)dry
Them (G)good ol' (C)boys were drinking (G)whisky and (D)rye
Singing, (Em)"this'll be the day that I (A)die"
(Em)"This'll be the day that I (D)die"

Now for (G)ten years we've been (Am)on our own
And (C)moss grows fat on a (Am)rolling stone,
But (Em)that's not how it (D)used to be,
When the (G)Jester (G/F#)sang for the (Em)King and Queen,
In a (Am)coat he borrowed (C)from James Dean
And a (Em)voice that (A)came from (D)you and me, oh,
And (Em)while the King was (D)looking down,
The (Em)Jester stole his (D)thorny crown,
The (C)courtroom (C/B)was a(Am)djourned,
(C)No verdict was re(D)turned,
And while (G)Lenin (G/F#)read a (Em)book on Marx,
The (Am)quartet kept practice (C)in the park
And (G)we sang (G/F#)dirges (Em)in the dark,
The (C)day the (D)music (G)died, we were (D)singing...

Chorus:
(G)Bye, (C)bye, Miss A(G)merican (D)Pie,
I drove my (G)Chevy to the (C)levy but the (G)levy was (D)dry
Them (G)good ol' (C)boys were drinking (G)whisky and (D)rye
Singing, (Em)"this'll be the day that I (A)die"
(Em)"This'll be the day that I (D)die"

(G)Helter (G/F#)skelter (Em)in the summer swelter,
The (C)birds flew off for the (Am)fallout shelter,
(Em)Eight miles high and (D)falling fast
(G)And land and (G/F#)fowl (Em)on the grass,
The (Am)players tried for a (C)forward pass,
With the (Em)jester on the (A)sidelines in a (D)cast,
Now the (Em)halftime air was (D)sweet perfume,
While the (Em)sergeants played a (D)marching tune,
(C)We all got (C/B)up to (Am)dance, oh,
But we (C)never got the (D)chance,
'cause the (G)players (G/F#)tried to (Em)take the field,
(Am)The marching band re(C)fused to yield,
(G)Do you re(G/F#)call what (Em)was revealed?
The (C)day the (D)music (G)died, we started (D)singing..

Chorus:
(G)Bye, (C)bye, Miss A(G)merican (D)Pie,
I drove my (G)Chevy to the (C)levy but the (G)levy was (D)dry
Them (G)good ol' (C)boys were drinking (G)whisky and (D)rye
Singing, (Em)"this'll be the day that I (A)die"
(Em)"This'll be the day that I (D)die"

And (G)there we were (Am)all in one place,
A (C)generation (Am)lost in space
With (Em)no time left to (D)start again,
So come on (G)Jack be (G/F#)nimble, (Em)Jack be quick,
(Am)Jack flash sat on a (C)candlestick
'cause (Em)fire is the (A)Devil's only (D)friend,
(Em)And as I watched him (D)on the stage,
My (Em)hands were clenched in (D)fists of rage,
(C)No angel (C/B)born in (Am)Hell could (C)break that Satan's (D)spell,
And as the (G)planes climbed (G/F#)high in(Em)to the night
To (Am)light the sacri(C)ficial rite,
I saw (G)Satan (G/F#)laughing (Em)with delight,
The (C)day the (D)music (G)died, he was (D)singing...

Chorus:
(G)Bye, (C)bye, Miss A(G)merican (D)Pie,
I drove my (G)Chevy to the (C)levy but the (G)levy was (D)dry
Them (G)good ol' (C)boys were drinking (G)whisky and (D)rye
Singing, (Em)"this'll be the day that I (A)die"
(Em)"This'll be the day that I (D)die"

(G)And I met a (G/F#)girl, who (Em)sang the blues,
And I (Am)asked her for some (C)happy news,
(Em)But she just smiled and (D)turned away,
(G)I went down (G/F#)to the (Em)sacred store
Where I'd (Am)heard the music (C)years before,
But the (Em)man there said the (C)music wouldn't (D)play

And (Em)in the streets the (Am)children screamed,
The (Em)lovers cried and (Am)poets dreamed,
(C)But not a (C/B)word was (Am)spoken,
The (C)church bells all were (D)broken,
And the (G)three men (G/F#)I admire (Em)most,
The (C)Father, Son and (D)Holy Ghost,
They (G)caught the (G/F#)last train (Em)for the coast,
The (C)day the (D)music (G)died

Chorus [slow]:
They were singing, (G)bye, (C)bye, Miss A(G)merican (D)Pie,
I drove my (G)Chevy to the (C)levy but the (G)levy was (D)dry,
Them (G)good ol' (C)boys were drinking (G)whisky and (D)rye
Singing, (Em)"this'll be the day that I (A)die"
(Em)"This'll be the day that I (D7)die"

[Repeat Chorus with Faster Tempo]

Listing of All Chords in This Song