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American Pie
Don McLean

Tabbed By
Kyle Fleming
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The tragedy of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper was what moved Don McLean to write American Pie. Here is the correct version of this wonderful song.

A [G]long [D]long [Em]time ago 
[Am]I can still re[C]member how that [Em]music used to make me [D]smile 
And [G]I knew [D]if I had [Em]my chance
that [Am]I could make those [C]people dance and 
[Em]maybe they'd be [C]happy for a [D]while.
[Em]But February [Am]made me shiver 
[Em]With every paper [Am]I'd deliver
[C]Bad news [G]on the [Am]doorstep 
I c[C]ouldn't take one [D]more step
I [G]can't re[D]member if I [Em]cried 
When I [Am]read about his [D]widowed bride
But [G]something [D]touched me [Em]deep inside 
The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died     [C]    [G]      So


(chorus)
[G]bye [C]bye Miss A[G]merican [D]Pie Drove my [G]Chevy to the [C]levy 
But the [G]levy was [D]dry
And them [G]good old [C]boys were drinking [G]whiskey and [D]rye
Singin' [Em]this'll be the day that I [A7]die 
[Em]This'll be the day that I [D7]die.


[G]Did you write the [Am]book of love 
And do [C]you have faith in [Am]God above?
[Em]  If the Bible [D]tells you so.  
Do [G]you be[D]lieve in [Em]Rock 'n Roll?
Can [Am]music save your [C]mortal soul? 
And [Em]can you teach me [A7]how to dance [D]real slow?
Well, I [Em]know that you're in [D]love with him 'cause I 
[Em]Saw you dancin' [D]in the gym
You [C]both kicked [G]off your [A7]shoes 
Man, I [C]dig those rhythm and [D7]blues
I was a [G]lonely [D]teenage [Em]broncin' buck 
With a [Am]pink carnation and a [C]pickup truck.
But [G]I knew [D]I was [Em]out of luck 
The [C]day the [D7]music [G]died [C]    [G]  
I started singin'   
(Chorus)


[G]Now for ten years we've been [Am]on our own 
And [C]moss grows fat on a [Am]rollin' stone
[Em]  But that's not how it [D]used to be 
When the [G]jester [D]sang for the [Em]King and Queen
In a [Am]coat he borrowed [C]from James Dean 
And a [Em]voice that [A7]came from [D]you and me
Oh, and [Em]while the King was [D]looking down 
The [Em]jester stole his [D]thorny crown
The [C]courtroom [G]was ad[A7]journed 
No [C]verdict was re[D7]turned
And while [G]Lennon [D]read a [Em]book of Marx 
The [Am]court kept practice [C]in the park
And [G]we sang [D]dirges [Em]in the dark 
The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died.[C]    [G]   
We were singing
(Chorus)


[G]Helter-skelter in a [Am]summer [Am]swelter 
The [C]Byrds flew off with a [Am]fallout shelter
[Em]Eight Miles High and [D]falling fast 
It [G]landed [D]foul out [Em]on the grass
The [Am]players tried [C]for a forward pass 
But the [Em]jester's [A7]on the sidelines [D]in a cast
Now the [Em]half-time air was [D]sweet perfume 
While the [Em]sergeants played a [D]marching tune
[C]We all [G]got up to [A7]dance 
Oh but we [C]never got [D7]the chance
Because the [G]players [D]tried to [Em]take the field 
But the [Am]marching band re[C]fused to yield
[G]Do you [D]recall [Em]what was revealed 
the [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died?[C]      [G]   
We stared singing
(Chorus)


[G]Oh, and there we were all [Am]in one place 
A [C]generation [Am]Lost in Space
[Em]With no time left to [D]start again 
So come on, [G]Jack be nimble
[Em]Jack be quick 
Jack [Am]Flash sat on a [C]candlestick 'cause 
[Em]Fire is the [A7]Devil's only [D]friend
Oh, and [Em]as I watched him [D]on the stage 
My [Em]hands were clenched in [D]fists of rage
[C]No angel [G]born in [A7]hell 
Could [C]break that Satan's [D7]spell
And as the [G]flames climbed [D]high in[Em]to the night 
To [Am]light the sacri[C]fical rite
I saw [G]Satan [D]laughing [Em]with delight 
The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died [C]     [G]    
He was singing
(Chorus)


I [G]met a [D]girl who [Em]sang the blues 
And I [Am]asked her for some [C]happy news
But [Em]she just smiled and turned [D]away 
I [G]went down [D]to the [Em]sacred store
Where I'd [Am]heard the music [C]years before 
But the [Em]man there said the [Am]music wouldn't [D]play
And in the [Em]streets the children [Am]screamed 
The [Em]lovers cried, and the poets [Am]dreamed
[C]But not a [G]word was [Am]spoken 
The [C]Church bells all were [D7]broken
And [G]three men [D]I ad[Em]mire most 
The [Am]Father, Son and the Holy [D]Ghost
They [G]caught the [D]last train [Em]for the coast 
The [C]Day the [D7]Music [G]Died.[C]    [G]     
And they were singing
(Chorus)


They were singing...

[G]bye [C]bye Miss A[G]merican [D]Pie Drove my [G]Chevy to the [C]levy 
But the [G]levy was [D]dry
And them [G]good old [C]boys were drinking [G]whiskey and [D]rye
Singin' [C]this'll be the [D7]day that I [G]die. [C]    [G]

If you have any questions or comments, email me at flemzo@hotmail.com