American Pie
Don McLean (1971)
Varies but mostly | d - D u - u d u |
A [C↓] long [G↓] long [Am↓] time ago...
[Dm↓] I can still re- [F↓]member
How that [Am↓] music used to make me [G↓] smile
And [C↓] I knew [G↓] if I had [Am↓] my chance
That [Dm↓] I could make those [F↓] people dance
And [Am↓] maybe they'd be [F↓] happy for a [G↓] while
| [Am] But February | [Dm] made me shiver |
| [Am] With every paper [Dm] I'd deliver |
| [F] Bad news [C] on the | [Dm] doorstep
I | [F] couldn't take one | [G] more step
I | [C] can't re- [G] member if I | [Am] cried
When I | [Dm] read about his | [G] widowed bride,
But | [C] something [G] touched me | [Am] deep inside
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died [F] | [C] ...
Chorus
So | [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7] |
Strumming Picks Up
| [C] Did you write the | [Dm] book of love
And do | [F] you have faith in | [Dm] God above? |
| [Am] . If the Bible | [G] tells you so | [G]
Do | [C] you be- [G] lieve in | [Am] Rock 'n Roll?
Can | [Dm] music save your | [F] mortal soul?
And | [Am] can you teach me | [D7] how to dance | [G] real slow? | [G]
Well, I | [Am] know that you're in | [G] love with him
'cause I | [Am] saw you dancin' | [G] in the gym
You | [F] both kicked [C] off your | [G] shoes
Man I | [F] dig those [C] rhythm and | [G7] blues
I was a | [C] lonely [G] teenage | [Am] broncin' buck
With a | [Dm] pink carnation and a | [F] pickup truck
But | [C] I knew [G] I was | [Am] out of luck
The | [F] day the | [G7] Music | [C] Died [F] .. |
| [C] . I started [G7] singin' |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7]
Now for | [C] ten years we've been | [Dm] on our own
And | [F] moss grows fat on a | [Dm] rollin' stone |
| [Am] . But that's not how it | [G] used to be | [G]
When the | [C] jester [G] sang for the | [Am] King and Queen
In a | [Dm] coat he borrowed | [F] from James Dean
And a | [Am] voice... that | [D7] came from you and | [G] me | [G]
Oh, and | [Am] while the King was | [G] looking down
The | [Am] jester stole his | [G] thorny crown
The | [F] courtroom [C] was ad- | [G] journed;
No | [F] verdict was re- | [G7] turned,
And while | [C] Lennon [G] read a | [Am] book of Marx
The | [Dm] court kept practice | [F] in the park,
And | [C] we sang [G] dirges | [Am] in the dark
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died [F] | [C] . We were [G7] singin' |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7]
| [C] Helter-Skelter | [Dm] in the summer swelter
the | [F] Byrds flew off with a | [Dm] fallout shelter |
| [Am] Eight Miles High and | [G] falling fast | [G]
It | [C] landed [G] foul out | [Am] on the grass
The | [Dm] players tried for a | [F] forward pass,
With the | [Am] jester on the | [D7] sidelines in a | [G] cast | [G]
Now the | [Am] half-time air was | [G] sweet perfume
While the | [Am] sergeants played a | [G] marching tune |
| [F] We all got [C] up to | [G] dance,
But we | [F] never got the | [G7] chance!
'Cause the | [C] players [G] tried to | [Am] take the field;
The | [Dm] marching band re- | [F] fused to yield,
Do | [C] you re- [G] call what | [Am] was revealed
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died? [F] |
| [C] We started [G7] singin'... |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7]
Oh, and | [C] there we were all | [Dm] in one place,
| [F] a generation | [Dm] Lost in Space
With | [Am] no time left to | [G] start again | [G]...
So come on | [C] Jack be nimble | [Am] Jack be quick! |
| [Dm] Jack Flash sat on a | [F] candlestick
'Cause | [Am] fire... is the | [D7] Devil's... only | [G] friend | [G]
Oh, and | [Am] as I watched him | [G] on the stage
My | [Am] hands were clenched in | [G] fists of rage |
| [F] No angel [C] born in | [G] hell
Could | [F] break that Satan's | [G7] spell
And as the | [C] flames climbed [G] high in- | [Am] to the night |
| [Dm] To light the sacri- | [F] ficial rite
I saw | [C] Satan [G] laughing | [Am] with delight
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died [F] | [C] . He was [G7] singin' |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7]
I [C↓] met a [G↓] girl who sang the [Am↓] blues
And I [Dm↓] asked her for some [F↓] happy news,
But [Am↓] she just smiled and turned [G↓] away,
I [C↓] went down [G↓] to the sacred [Am↓] store
Where I'd [Dm↓] heard the music [F↓] years before,
But the [Am↓] man there said the [D7↓] music wouldn't [G↓] play
| [Am] And in the streets | [Dm] children screamed,
The | [Am] lovers cried, and the | [Dm] poets dreamed
But | [F] not a [C] word was | [Dm] spoken;
The | [F] church bells all were | [G7] broken,
And the | [C] three men [G] I ad- | [Am] mire most
The | [Dm] Father, Son and the | [F] Holy Ghost,
Why, they | [C] caught the [G] last train | [Am] for the coast
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died... | And they were singing |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7] They were singing
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy, but the | [C] levy was [G] dry,
And | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [F] this'll be the [G] day that I | [C↓] die [F↓] | [C↓]
#Last Updated 2/7/22 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons
Don McLean (1971)
Varies but mostly | d - D u - u d u |
A [C↓] long [G↓] long [Am↓] time ago...
[Dm↓] I can still re- [F↓]member
How that [Am↓] music used to make me [G↓] smile
And [C↓] I knew [G↓] if I had [Am↓] my chance
That [Dm↓] I could make those [F↓] people dance
And [Am↓] maybe they'd be [F↓] happy for a [G↓] while
| [Am] But February | [Dm] made me shiver |
| [Am] With every paper [Dm] I'd deliver |
| [F] Bad news [C] on the | [Dm] doorstep
I | [F] couldn't take one | [G] more step
I | [C] can't re- [G] member if I | [Am] cried
When I | [Dm] read about his | [G] widowed bride,
But | [C] something [G] touched me | [Am] deep inside
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died [F] | [C] ...
Chorus
So | [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7] |
Strumming Picks Up
| [C] Did you write the | [Dm] book of love
And do | [F] you have faith in | [Dm] God above? |
| [Am] . If the Bible | [G] tells you so | [G]
Do | [C] you be- [G] lieve in | [Am] Rock 'n Roll?
Can | [Dm] music save your | [F] mortal soul?
And | [Am] can you teach me | [D7] how to dance | [G] real slow? | [G]
Well, I | [Am] know that you're in | [G] love with him
'cause I | [Am] saw you dancin' | [G] in the gym
You | [F] both kicked [C] off your | [G] shoes
Man I | [F] dig those [C] rhythm and | [G7] blues
I was a | [C] lonely [G] teenage | [Am] broncin' buck
With a | [Dm] pink carnation and a | [F] pickup truck
But | [C] I knew [G] I was | [Am] out of luck
The | [F] day the | [G7] Music | [C] Died [F] .. |
| [C] . I started [G7] singin' |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7]
Now for | [C] ten years we've been | [Dm] on our own
And | [F] moss grows fat on a | [Dm] rollin' stone |
| [Am] . But that's not how it | [G] used to be | [G]
When the | [C] jester [G] sang for the | [Am] King and Queen
In a | [Dm] coat he borrowed | [F] from James Dean
And a | [Am] voice... that | [D7] came from you and | [G] me | [G]
Oh, and | [Am] while the King was | [G] looking down
The | [Am] jester stole his | [G] thorny crown
The | [F] courtroom [C] was ad- | [G] journed;
No | [F] verdict was re- | [G7] turned,
And while | [C] Lennon [G] read a | [Am] book of Marx
The | [Dm] court kept practice | [F] in the park,
And | [C] we sang [G] dirges | [Am] in the dark
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died [F] | [C] . We were [G7] singin' |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7]
| [C] Helter-Skelter | [Dm] in the summer swelter
the | [F] Byrds flew off with a | [Dm] fallout shelter |
| [Am] Eight Miles High and | [G] falling fast | [G]
It | [C] landed [G] foul out | [Am] on the grass
The | [Dm] players tried for a | [F] forward pass,
With the | [Am] jester on the | [D7] sidelines in a | [G] cast | [G]
Now the | [Am] half-time air was | [G] sweet perfume
While the | [Am] sergeants played a | [G] marching tune |
| [F] We all got [C] up to | [G] dance,
But we | [F] never got the | [G7] chance!
'Cause the | [C] players [G] tried to | [Am] take the field;
The | [Dm] marching band re- | [F] fused to yield,
Do | [C] you re- [G] call what | [Am] was revealed
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died? [F] |
| [C] We started [G7] singin'... |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7]
Oh, and | [C] there we were all | [Dm] in one place,
| [F] a generation | [Dm] Lost in Space
With | [Am] no time left to | [G] start again | [G]...
So come on | [C] Jack be nimble | [Am] Jack be quick! |
| [Dm] Jack Flash sat on a | [F] candlestick
'Cause | [Am] fire... is the | [D7] Devil's... only | [G] friend | [G]
Oh, and | [Am] as I watched him | [G] on the stage
My | [Am] hands were clenched in | [G] fists of rage |
| [F] No angel [C] born in | [G] hell
Could | [F] break that Satan's | [G7] spell
And as the | [C] flames climbed [G] high in- | [Am] to the night |
| [Dm] To light the sacri- | [F] ficial rite
I saw | [C] Satan [G] laughing | [Am] with delight
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died [F] | [C] . He was [G7] singin' |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7]
I [C↓] met a [G↓] girl who sang the [Am↓] blues
And I [Dm↓] asked her for some [F↓] happy news,
But [Am↓] she just smiled and turned [G↓] away,
I [C↓] went down [G↓] to the sacred [Am↓] store
Where I'd [Dm↓] heard the music [F↓] years before,
But the [Am↓] man there said the [D7↓] music wouldn't [G↓] play
| [Am] And in the streets | [Dm] children screamed,
The | [Am] lovers cried, and the | [Dm] poets dreamed
But | [F] not a [C] word was | [Dm] spoken;
The | [F] church bells all were | [G7] broken,
And the | [C] three men [G] I ad- | [Am] mire most
The | [Dm] Father, Son and the | [F] Holy Ghost,
Why, they | [C] caught the [G] last train | [Am] for the coast
The | [F] day... the | [G7] Music | [C] Died... | And they were singing |
Chorus
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy but the | [C] levy was [G] dry
And them | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [Am] this'll be the day that I | [D7] die... |
| [Am] This'll be the day that I | [G7] die | [G7] They were singing
| [C] Bye [F] bye Miss A- | [C] merican [G] Pie
Drove my | [C] Chevy to the [F] levy, but the | [C] levy was [G] dry,
And | [C] good old [F] boys were drinking | [C] whiskey and [G] rye
Singin' | [F] this'll be the [G] day that I | [C↓] die [F↓] | [C↓]
#Last Updated 2/7/22 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons