[Verse]
B F# G#m
A long, long time ago,
C#m E
I can still remember,
G#m F#
how that music used to make me smile.
B F# G#m
And I knew if I had my chance,
C#m E
that I could make those people dance,
G#m E F#
and maybe they'd by happy for a while.
G#m C#m
But February made me shiver,
G#m C#m
with every paper I'd deliver.
E B C#m
Bad news on the doorstep;
E F#
I couldn't take one more step
B F# G#m
I can't remember if I cried,
C#m F#
when I read about his widowed bride;
B F# G#m
something touched me deep inside,
E F# B \
the day the music died.
[Chorus]
B E B F#
So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
B E B F#
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
B E B F#
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
G#m~ C#~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
G#m~ F#
this'll be the day that I die.
[Verse]
B C#m
Did you write the book of love,
E C#m
and do you have faith in God above,
G#m F#
if the Bible tells you so?
B F# G#m
Now do you believe in rock and roll,
C#m E
can music save your mortal soul?
G#m C# F#
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
[Verse]
G#m~ C#m~
Well I know that you're in love with him,
G#m~ C#m~
'cause I saw you dancing in the gym
E B C#
You both kicked off your shoes,
E F#
man I dig those rhythm and blues!
B F# G#m
I was a lonely teenage bronching buck,
C#m E
with a pink carnation and a pick-up truck.
B F# G#m E F# B
But I knew I was out of luck the day, the music died.
B F#
I started singing
[Chorus]
B E B F#
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
B E B F#
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
B E B F#
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
G#m~ C#~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
G#m~ F#
this'll be the day that I die.
[Verse]
B C#m
Now for ten years, we've been on our own;
E C#m
and moss grows fat on a rolling stone,
G#m F#
but that's not how it used to be.
B F# G#m
When the jester sang for the King and
C#m E
Queen, in a coat he borrowed from James Dean,
G#m C# F#
and a voice that came from you and me
[Verse]
G#m~ C#m~
Oh, and while the king was looking down,
G#m~ C#m~
the jester stole his thorny crown,
E B C#
the court room was adjourned,
E F#
no verdict was returned.
B F# G#m
And while Lennon read a book on Marx,
C#m E
the quartet practiced in the park;
B F# G#m
and we sang dirges in the dark,
E F# B
the day the music died,
F#
we were singing
[Chorus]
B E B F#
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
B E B F#
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
B E B F#
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
G#m~ C#~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
G#m~ F#
this'll be the day that I die.
[Verse]
B F# G#m
A long, long time ago,
C#m E
I can still remember,
G#m how that music used
F#
to make me smile.
B F# G#m
And I knew if I had my chance,
C#m that I could make
E
those people dance,
G#m and maybe they'd
E F#
by happy for a while.
G#m C#m
But February made me shiver,
G#m C#m
with every paper I'd deliver.
E B C#m
Bad news on the doorstep;
E F#
I couldn't take one more step
B F# G#m
I can't remember if I cried,
C#m when I read about
F#
his widowed bride;
B F# G#m
something touched me deep inside,
E F# B \
the day the music died.
[Chorus]
B E B F#
So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
B E drove my Chevy to the levee
B F#
but the levee was dry.
B E Them good ole boys were
B F#
drinking whiskey and rye,
G#m~ singing this'll be
C#~
the day that I die,
G#m~ F#
this'll be the day that I die.
[Verse]
B C#m
Did you write the book of love,
E and do you have
C#m
faith in God above,
G#m F#
if the Bible tells you so?
B F# Now do you believe
G#m
in rock and roll,
C#m E
can music save your mortal soul?
G#m And can you teach me
C# F#
how to dance real slow?
[Verse]
G#m~ Well I know that you're
C#m~
in love with him,
G#m~ 'cause I saw you
C#m~
dancing in the gym
E B C#
You both kicked off your shoes,
E F#
man I dig those rhythm and blues!
B F# I was a lonely teenage
G#m
bronching buck,
C#m with a pink carnation
E
and a pick-up truck.
B F# G#m But I knew I was out of luck
E F# B
the day, the music died.
B F#
I started singing
[Chorus]
B E B F#
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
B E drove my Chevy to the levee
B F#
but the levee was dry.
B E Them good ole boys were
B F#
drinking whiskey and rye,
G#m~ singing this'll be
C#~
the day that I die,
G#m~ F#
this'll be the day that I die.
[Verse]
B Now for ten years,
C#m
we've been on our own;
E and moss grows fat
C#m
on a rolling stone,
G#m F#
but that's not how it used to be.
B F# When the jester sang
G#m
for the King and
C#m Queen, in a coat he borrowed
E
from James Dean,
G#m and a voice that
C# F#
came from you and me
[Verse]
G#m~ Oh, and while the
C#m~
king was looking down,
G#m~ C#m~
the jester stole his thorny crown,
E B C#
the court room was adjourned,
E F#
no verdict was returned.
B And while Lennon
F# G#m
read a book on Marx,
C#m E
the quartet practiced in the park;
B F# G#m
and we sang dirges in the dark,
E F# B
the day the music died,
F#
we were singing
[Chorus]
B E B F#
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
B E drove my Chevy to the levee
B F#
but the levee was dry.
B E Them good ole boys were
B F#
drinking whiskey and rye,
G#m~ singing this'll be
C#~
the day that I die,
G#m~ F#
this'll be the day that I die.