American Pie, by Don McLean - guitarplayerbox - Easy guitar songs for guitar beginners and newcomers. Best songs to learn on guitar

American Pie

Don McLean

Chords used in this song: G#, G#m, B, C#, D#m, F#
G#Chord: G#
G#mChord: G#m
BChord: B
C#Chord: C#
D#mChord: D#m
F#Chord: F#

Capo I

[Verse]
  F#     C#    D#m
A long, long time ago,
G#m            B
I can still remember,
              D#m                C#
how that music used to make me smile.
    F#           C#   D#m
And I knew if I had my chance,
     G#m                 B
that I could make those people dance,
    D#m              B           C#
and maybe they'd by happy for a while.
D#m           G#m
But February made me shiver,
D#m               G#m
with every paper I'd deliver.
B        F#           G#m
Bad news on the doorstep;
  B                       C#
I couldn't take one more step
  F#       C#           D#m
I can't remember if I cried,
       G#m             C#
when I read about his widowed bride;
F#         C#          D#m
something touched me deep inside,
    B       C#     F#      \
the day the music died.


[Chorus]
    F#   B         F#        C#
So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
         F#            B             F#         C#
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
     F#        B                  F#           C#
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
        D#m~                       G#~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
D#m~                       C#
this'll be the day that I die.


[Verse]
F#                 G#m
Did you write the book of love,
       B                 G#m
and do you have faith in God above,
D#m           C#
if the Bible tells you so?
       F#     C#        D#m
Now do you believe in rock and roll,
    G#m              B
can music save your mortal soul?
   D#m                G#            C#
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?


[Verse]
       D#m~                 G#m~
Well I know that you're in love with him,
         D#m~             G#m~
'cause I saw you dancing in the gym
    B    F#               G#
You both kicked off your shoes,
      B                    C#
man I dig those rhythm and blues!
        F#      C#       D#m
I was a lonely teenage bronching buck,
       G#m                   B
with a pink carnation and a pick-up truck.
    F#      C#     D#m              B        C#     F#
But I knew I was out of luck the day, the music died.
F#         C#
I started singing


[Chorus]
F#   B         F#        C#
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
         F#            B             F#         C#
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
     F#        B                  F#           C#
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
        D#m~                       G#~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
D#m~                       C#
this'll be the day that I die.


[Verse]
        F#                     G#m
Now for ten years, we've been on our own;
    B                   G#m
and moss grows fat on a rolling stone,
    D#m                C#
but that's not how it used to be.
         F#      C#            D#m
When the jester sang for the King and
            G#m               B
Queen, in a coat he borrowed from James Dean,
      D#m         G#                 C#
and a voice that came from you and me


[Verse]
        D#m~                G#m~
Oh, and while the king was looking down,
    D#m~              G#m~
the jester stole his thorny crown,
    B          F#      G#
the court room was adjourned,
   B             C#
no verdict was returned.
          F#      C#      D#m
And while Lennon read a book on Marx,
    G#m                B
the quartet practiced in the park;
    F#       C#      D#m
and we sang dirges in the dark,
    B       C#     F#
the day the music died,
        C#
we were singing


[Chorus]
F#   B         F#        C#
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
         F#            B             F#         C#
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
     F#        B                  F#           C#
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
        D#m~                       G#~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
D#m~                       C#
this'll be the day that I die.
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