American Pie
Don McLean
"American Pie"
Performance Notes:
Acoustic guitar, with open position chords.
Chords
G 320033
D xx0232
Em7 022030
Am x02210
C x32010
Em 022000
D7 xx0212
Am7 x02010 or x02213
A7 x02020 or x02223
Prologue (Strum Freely / Slowly usu. only the once per chord)
G D Em7 Am C
A | long, long time ago | I can ...
Em D G D Em7 (G)
| music used to make me smile | And | I ...
Am (G) C Em C
| I could make those people dance and | ...
D Em Am Em Am
| while | But February made me shiver ...|
C G Am C D
| Bad news on the doorstep I | ...
(C) (D7)
G D Em (G) Am7 D
| can't remember if I cried when I | ...
G D Em C (Am7) D7 G C G (D7)
| something touched me deep in-...| |
Del Segna al Coda
(Play from Segna till it says to go to the Coda)
Chorus ( in a slightly faster tempo )
(SEGNA)
|*G C G D G C
So |* bye-bye, Miss A_|_merican Pie ...
G D G C G D TO CODA
| levee was dry. Them |good ole boys were ...
Em A7 Em D7
| this'll be the day that I | die | This'll ...|
Verses 1,2,3,4.
|G |Am |C |Am |Em |D | % |G D |Em |Am7 |C |Em |
|A7 |D | % |Em |D |Em |D |C G |A7 |C |D7 |G D |
_______
| 1.2.3.
*|
|Em |Am |C |G D |Em |C |D7 |G C |G D7 *|
______
| 4.
|G D |D C |G D |G C |G D |G C |G D |
| He was singing | etc.
|Em |A7 |Em |D7 |
For the 5th verse, play the prologue, adding the chords in (x) in and
substituting a chord for a previousey written one when you see (C)
Am7
(Ie: play a C instaid of, not as well as, the Am7)
Also remember to go back to the slow strumming for the 5th verse.
Coda
C D7 G C G
| This'll be the day that ...|
.
