American Pie

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 bride
but something touched me deep inside the day the music died

so bye bye miss american pie
drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
and them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
singing this'll be the day that I die • this'll be the day that I die

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 dancing in the gym
you both kicked off your shoes • man I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncing buck with a pink carnation and a pickup truck
but I knew I was out of luck the day the music died

I started singing • bye bye Miss American Pie
drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
and them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
singing this'll be the day that I die • this'll be the day that I die

now for ten years we've been on our own and moss grows fat on a rolling 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
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 of Marx the quartet practiced in the park
and we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died

we were singing • bye bye miss american pie
drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
and them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
singing this'll be the day that I die • this'll be the day that I die

helter skelter in a summer swelter • the Byrds flew off with a fallout shelter
eight miles high and falling fast
it landed foul out 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 • bye bye miss american pie
drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
and them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
singing this'll be the day that I die • this'll be the day that I die

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 devil's only friend
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 sacrifical rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight the day the music died

he was singing • bye bye miss american pie
drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
and them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
singing this'll be the day that I die • this'll be the day that I die

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 woudn'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 singing • bye bye Miss American Pie
drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
and them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
singing this'll be the day that I die • this'll be the day that I die