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: E, Em, G, A, Bm, D
EChord: E
EmChord: Em
GChord: G
AChord: A
BmChord: Bm
DChord: D

Capo V

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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