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: D, Dm, F, G, Am, C
DChord: D
DmChord: Dm
FChord: F
GChord: G
AmChord: Am
CChord: C

Capo VII

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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