American Pie - Full Length Version chords by
Don Mclean

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Key: G major

Verse 1
G G 
 
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
A long, long time ago
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
Em Em 
 
I   can still remember how that music
D D 
 
Used to make me smile
Em Em 
 
And I knew if I had my chance
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
That I could make those people dance
Em Em 
 
C C 
 
D D 
 
And maybe they'd be happy for a while

Verse 2
Em Em 
 
Am Am 
 
But February made me shiver
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
Am Am 
 
With every paper I'd deliver
C C 
 
G G 
 
Am Am 
 
Bad news on the doorstep
C C 
 
D D 
 
I couldn't take one more step
Em Em 
 
I can't remember if I cried
C C 
 
D D 
 
When I read about his wid
owed bride
G G 
 
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
Something touched me deep inside
C C 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
The day the music died

Verse 3
G G 
 
C C 
 
G G 
 
D D 
 
So, bye- bye, Miss American Pie
G G 
 
C C 
 
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G G 
 
D D 
 
but the levee was dry
G G 
 
C C 
 
G G 
 
And them good ol' boys were drinkin'
D D 
 
whiskey and rye
Em Em 
 
A A 
 
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
Em Em 
 
This'll be the day that I die"
D D 
 

Verse 4
G G 
 
Am Am 
 
Did you write the book of love
C C 
 
Am Am 
 
Em Em 
 
And do you have faith in God above
D D 
 
If the Bible tells you so?
G G 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
Em Em 
 
Now, do you believe in rock 'n' roll
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
Can music save your mortal soul
Em Em 
 
A A 
 
And can you teach me
D D 
 
how to dance real slow?

Verse 5
Em Em 
 
Well, I know that you're
D D 
 
in love with him
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
C C 
 
Am Am 
 
You both kicked off your shoes
C C 
 
D D 
 
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
G G 
 
D D 
 
I was a lonely teenage
Em Em 
 
bronckin' buck
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
G G 
 
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
But I  knew I  was out of luck
C C 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
The day the music died

Verse 6
G G 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
I  started singin', bye- bye,
G G 
 
D D 
 
Miss American Pie
G G 
 
C C 
 
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G G 
 
D D 
 
but the levee was dry
G G 
 
C C 
 
Them good ol' boys were
G G 
 
drinkin' whiskey and rye
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
Singin', "This'll be
A A 
 
the day that I die
Em Em 
 
This'll be the day that I die"
D D 
 

Verse 7
G G 
 
Now, for ten years we've
Am Am 
 
been on  our own
C C 
 
Am Am 
 
And moss grows fat on a   rollin' stone
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
But that's not how it used to be
G G 
 
D D 
 
When the jester sang
Em Em 
 
for the king and queen
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
Em Em 
 
A A 
 
And a voice that came
from you and me
D D 
 

Verse 8
Em Em 
 
Oh, and   while the king was
D D 
 
looking down
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
The jester stole his thorny
crown
C C 
 
G G 
 
Am Am 
 
The courtroom was ad journed
A A 
 
C C 
 
D D 
 
No verdict was returned
G G 
 
D D 
 
And while Lenin read
Em Em 
 
a book on Marx
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
A quartet practiced in the park
G G 
 
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
And we sang dirges in the dark
C C 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
The day the mu sic died

Verse 9
G G 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
We were singin', bye- bye,
G G 
 
D D 
 
Miss American Pie
G G 
 
C C 
 
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G G 
 
D D 
 
but the levee was dry
G G 
 
C C 
 
Them good ol' boys were
G G 
 
D D 
 
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em Em 
 
A A 
 
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
Em Em 
 
This'll be the day that I die"
D D 
 

Verse 10
G G 
 
Am Am 
 
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
C C 
 
Am Am 
 
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
Eight miles high and  falling fast
G G 
 
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
It landed foul on  the grass
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
The players tried for a forward pass
Em Em 
 
With the jester on the side
A A 
 
lines in a cast
D D 
 

Verse 11
Em Em 
 
Now, the halftime air
D D 
 
was sweet perfume
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
While sergeants played a marching tune
C C 
 
Am Am 
 
We all got up to dance
C C 
 
D D 
 
Oh, but we never got the chance
G G 
 
D D 
 
'Cause the players tried to take
Em Em 
 
the field
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
The marching band refused to yield
G G 
 
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
Do you recall what was revealed
C C 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
The day the music died?

Verse 12
G G 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
We started singin', bye- bye,
G G 
 
D D 
 
Miss American Pie
G G 
 
C C 
 
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G G 
 
D D 
 
but the levee was dry
G G 
 
C C 
 
Them good ol' boys were
G G 
 
D D 
 
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em Em 
 
A A 
 
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
Em Em 
 
This'll be the day that I die"
D D 
 

Verse 13
G G 
 
Am Am 
 
Oh, and there we were all in  one place
C C 
 
Am Am 
 
A  generation lost in space
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
With no  time left to start again
G G 
 
D D 
 
So, come on, Jack be nimble,
Em Em 
 
Jack be quick
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
Em Em 
 
A A 
 
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
D D 
 

Verse 14
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
C C 
 
Em Em 
 
Am Am 
 
No angel born in  Hell
C C 
 
D D 
 
Could break that Satan spell
G G 
 
And as the flames climbed
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
high into  the night
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
To  light the sacrificial rite
G G 
 
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
I saw Satan laughing with delight
C C 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
The day the music died

Verse 15
G G 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
He was singin', bye- bye,
G G 
 
D D 
 
Miss American Pie
G G 
 
C C 
 
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G G 
 
D D 
 
but the levee was dry
G G 
 
C C 
 
Them good ol' boys were
G G 
 
D D 
 
drinkin' whiskey and rye
Em Em 
 
A A 
 
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
This'll be the day that I die"

Verse 16
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
I met a girl who sang the blues
Am Am 
 
C C 
 
And I   asked her for some happy news
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
But she just smiled and turned away
G G 
 
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
I went down to the sacred store
Am Am 
 
Where I'd heard the music
C C 
 
years before
Em Em 
 
But the man there said the
C C 
 
D D 
 
music wouldn't play

Verse 17
D D 
 
Em Em 
 
Am Am 
 
And in  the streets the chil
dren screamed
Em Em 
 
The lovers cried,
Am Am 
 
an  d the poets dreamed
C C 
 
G G 
 
Am Am 
 
But not a word was spoken
C C 
 
D D 
 
The church bells all were broken
Em Em 
 
And the three men I admire most
C C 
 
The Father,
D D 
 
Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train
Em Em 
 
D D 
 
for the coast
C C 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
The day the music died
D D 
 
And they were singin',

Verse 18
G G 
 
C C 
 
bye- bye,
G G 
 
D D 
 
Miss American Pie
G G 
 
C C 
 
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G G 
 
D D 
 
but the levee was dry
G G 
 
C C 
 
And them good ol' boys were drinkin'
G G 
 
D D 
 
whiskey and rye
Singin',
Em Em 
 
A A 
 
Em Em 
 
"This'll be the day that I die
D D 
 
This'll be the day that I die"

Verse 19
G G 
 
C C 
 
They were singin', bye- bye,
G G 
 
D D 
 
Miss American Pie
G G 
 
C C 
 
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G G 
 
D D 
 
but the levee was dry
G G 
 
C C 
 
Them good ol' boys were drinkin'
G G 
 
D D 
 
whiskey and rye
C C 
 
D D 
 
G G 
 
C C 
 
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die"

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American Pie - Full Length Version chords by Don McleanSave