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, Gm, A#, C, Dm, F
GChord: G
GmChord: Gm
A#Chord: A#
CChord: C
DmChord: Dm
FChord: F

Capo II

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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