G D Em7 Am C
A long long time ago I can still remember
Em D G D Em7
How that music used to make me smile and I knew if I had my chance
Am C Em C D Em
That I could make those people dance and maybe they'd be happy for a while
Am Em Am
But February made me shiver with every paper I'd deliver
C G/B Am C D
Bad news on the doorstep I couldn't take one more step
G D Em Am7 D
I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride
G D Em C D7 G C/G G
But something touched me deep inside the day the music died So
G C G D
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 them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Em A7 Em D7
Singin' this'll be the day that I die, this'll be the day that I die. G Am C Am
Did you write the book of love and do you have faith in God above?
Em D G D Em
If the Bible tells you so. Do you believe in Rock 'n Roll?
Am7 C
Can music save your mortal soul?
Em A7 D
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Em D
Well, I know that you're in love with him
Em D
'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 Em
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
Am C
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck.
G D Em C D7 G C
But I knew I was out of luck the day the music died I started singin'
(Chorus)
G Am
Now for ten years we've been on our own
C Am Em D
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone, but that's not how it used to be
G D Em
When the jester sang for the King and Queen
Am7 C
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
Em A7 D
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/B A7 C D7
The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned
G D Em Am C
And while Lennon read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park
G D Em C D7 G C
And we sang dirges in the dark, the day the music died. We were singing
(Chorus)
G Am
Helter-Skelter in a summer swelter,
C Am
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Em D G D Em
Eight miles high and falling fast It landed foul out on the grass
Am7 C
The players tried for a forward pass
Em A7 D
But the jester's on the sidelines in a cast
Em D
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
Em D
While the sergeants played a marching tune
C G/B A7 C D7
We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance
G D Em
'Cause the players tried to take the field
Am C
The marching band refused to yield
G D Em C D7 G C G
Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died? We stared singing
(Chorus)
G Am C Am
Oh, and there we were all in one place A generation lost in space
Em D G
With no time left to start again. So come on, Jack be nimble
Em Am7 C
Jack be quick Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
Em A7 D
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
Em D
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage,
Em D
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
C G A7 C D7
No angel born in hell could break that Satan's spell
G D Em
And as the flames climbed high into the night
Am C
To light the sacrificial rite
G D Em C D7 G C G
I saw Satan laughing with delight the day the music died He was singing
(Chorus)
G Am C Am
I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news
Em D G D
But she just smiled and turned away I went down to the sacred store
Em Am7
Where I'd heard the music years before
Em A7 D
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
Em D
And in the streets the children screamed
Em D
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
C G A7 C D7
But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken
G D Em Am C
And three men I admire most, the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
G D Em
They caught the last train for the coast,
C D7 G C G
The day the music died. And they were singing
(Chorus)
