American Pie - Full Length Version chords by
Don Mclean
Don Mclean

N/A1 views
Key: G major
Verse 1
F#
F#

C#
C#

D#m
D#m

A long, long time ago
G#m
G#m

B
B

D#m
D#m

I can still remember how that music
C#
C#

Used to make me smile
D#m
D#m

And I knew if I had my chance
G#m
G#m

B
B

That I could make those people dance
D#m
D#m

B
B

C#
C#

And maybe they'd be happy for a while
Verse 2
D#m
D#m

G#m
G#m

But February made me shiver
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

G#m
G#m

With every paper I'd deliver
B
B

F#
F#

G#m
G#m

Bad news on the doorstep
B
B

C#
C#

I couldn't take one more step
D#m
D#m

I can't remember if I cried
B
B

C#
C#

When I read about his wid
owed bride
F#
F#

C#
C#

D#m
D#m

Something touched me deep inside
B
B

C#
C#

F#
F#

The day the music died
Verse 3
F#
F#

B
B

F#
F#

C#
C#

So, bye- bye, Miss American Pie
F#
F#

B
B

Drove my Chevy to the levee,
F#
F#

C#
C#

but the levee was dry
F#
F#

B
B

F#
F#

And them good ol' boys were drinkin'
C#
C#

whiskey and rye
D#m
D#m

G#
G#

Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
D#m
D#m

This'll be the day that I die"
C#
C#

Verse 4
F#
F#

G#m
G#m

Did you write the book of love
B
B

G#m
G#m

D#m
D#m

And do you have faith in God above
C#
C#

If the Bible tells you so?
F#
F#

C#
C#

F#
F#

D#m
D#m

Now, do you believe in rock 'n' roll
G#m
G#m

B
B

Can music save your mortal soul
D#m
D#m

G#
G#

And can you teach me
C#
C#

how to dance real slow?
Verse 5
D#m
D#m

Well, I know that you're
C#
C#

in love with him
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
B
B

G#m
G#m

You both kicked off your shoes
B
B

C#
C#

Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
F#
F#

C#
C#

I was a lonely teenage
D#m
D#m

bronckin' buck
G#m
G#m

B
B

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
F#
F#

C#
C#

D#m
D#m

But I knew I was out of luck
B
B

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

The day the music died
Verse 6
F#
F#

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

I started singin', bye- bye,
F#
F#

C#
C#

Miss American Pie
F#
F#

B
B

Drove my Chevy to the levee,
F#
F#

C#
C#

but the levee was dry
F#
F#

B
B

Them good ol' boys were
F#
F#

drinkin' whiskey and rye
C#
C#

D#m
D#m

Singin', "This'll be
G#
G#

the day that I die
D#m
D#m

This'll be the day that I die"
C#
C#

Verse 7
F#
F#

Now, for ten years we've
G#m
G#m

been on our own
B
B

G#m
G#m

And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

But that's not how it used to be
F#
F#

C#
C#

When the jester sang
D#m
D#m

for the king and queen
G#m
G#m

B
B

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
D#m
D#m

G#
G#

And a voice that came
from you and me
C#
C#

Verse 8
D#m
D#m

Oh, and while the king was
C#
C#

looking down
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

The jester stole his thorny
crown
B
B

F#
F#

G#m
G#m

The courtroom was ad journed
G#
G#

B
B

C#
C#

No verdict was returned
F#
F#

C#
C#

And while Lenin read
D#m
D#m

a book on Marx
G#m
G#m

B
B

A quartet practiced in the park
F#
F#

C#
C#

D#m
D#m

And we sang dirges in the dark
B
B

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

The day the mu sic died
Verse 9
F#
F#

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

We were singin', bye- bye,
F#
F#

C#
C#

Miss American Pie
F#
F#

B
B

Drove my Chevy to the levee,
F#
F#

C#
C#

but the levee was dry
F#
F#

B
B

Them good ol' boys were
F#
F#

C#
C#

drinkin' whiskey and rye
D#m
D#m

G#
G#

Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
D#m
D#m

This'll be the day that I die"
C#
C#

Verse 10
F#
F#

G#m
G#m

Helter skelter in a summer swelter
B
B

G#m
G#m

The birds flew off with a fal lout shelter
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

Eight miles high and falling fast
F#
F#

C#
C#

D#m
D#m

It landed foul on the grass
G#m
G#m

B
B

The players tried for a forward pass
D#m
D#m

With the jester on the side
G#
G#

lines in a cast
C#
C#

Verse 11
D#m
D#m

Now, the halftime air
C#
C#

was sweet perfume
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

While sergeants played a marching tune
B
B

G#m
G#m

We all got up to dance
B
B

C#
C#

Oh, but we never got the chance
F#
F#

C#
C#

'Cause the players tried to take
D#m
D#m

the field
G#m
G#m

B
B

The marching band refused to yield
F#
F#

C#
C#

D#m
D#m

Do you recall what was revealed
B
B

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

The day the music died?
Verse 12
F#
F#

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

We started singin', bye- bye,
F#
F#

C#
C#

Miss American Pie
F#
F#

B
B

Drove my Chevy to the levee,
F#
F#

C#
C#

but the levee was dry
F#
F#

B
B

Them good ol' boys were
F#
F#

C#
C#

drinkin' whiskey and rye
D#m
D#m

G#
G#

Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
D#m
D#m

This'll be the day that I die"
C#
C#

Verse 13
F#
F#

G#m
G#m

Oh, and there we were all in one place
B
B

G#m
G#m

A generation lost in space
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

With no time left to start again
F#
F#

C#
C#

So, come on, Jack be nimble,
D#m
D#m

Jack be quick
G#m
G#m

B
B

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
D#m
D#m

G#
G#

'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
C#
C#

Verse 14
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

My hands were clenched in fists of rage
B
B

D#m
D#m

G#m
G#m

No angel born in Hell
B
B

C#
C#

Could break that Satan spell
F#
F#

And as the flames climbed
C#
C#

D#m
D#m

high into the night
G#m
G#m

B
B

To light the sacrificial rite
F#
F#

C#
C#

D#m
D#m

I saw Satan laughing with delight
B
B

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

The day the music died
Verse 15
F#
F#

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

He was singin', bye- bye,
F#
F#

C#
C#

Miss American Pie
F#
F#

B
B

Drove my Chevy to the levee,
F#
F#

C#
C#

but the levee was dry
F#
F#

B
B

Them good ol' boys were
F#
F#

C#
C#

drinkin' whiskey and rye
D#m
D#m

G#
G#

Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

This'll be the day that I die"
Verse 16
C#
C#

D#m
D#m

I met a girl who sang the blues
G#m
G#m

B
B

And I asked her for some happy news
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

But she just smiled and turned away
F#
F#

C#
C#

D#m
D#m

I went down to the sacred store
G#m
G#m

Where I'd heard the music
B
B

years before
D#m
D#m

But the man there said the
B
B

C#
C#

music wouldn't play
Verse 17
C#
C#

D#m
D#m

G#m
G#m

And in the streets the chil
dren screamed
D#m
D#m

The lovers cried,
G#m
G#m

an d the poets dreamed
B
B

F#
F#

G#m
G#m

But not a word was spoken
B
B

C#
C#

The church bells all were broken
D#m
D#m

And the three men I admire most
B
B

The Father,
C#
C#

Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train
D#m
D#m

C#
C#

for the coast
B
B

C#
C#

F#
F#

The day the music died
C#
C#

And they were singin',
Verse 18
F#
F#

B
B

bye- bye,
F#
F#

C#
C#

Miss American Pie
F#
F#

B
B

Drove my Chevy to the levee,
F#
F#

C#
C#

but the levee was dry
F#
F#

B
B

And them good ol' boys were drinkin'
F#
F#

C#
C#

whiskey and rye
Singin',
D#m
D#m

G#
G#

D#m
D#m

"This'll be the day that I die
C#
C#

This'll be the day that I die"
Verse 19
F#
F#

B
B

They were singin', bye- bye,
F#
F#

C#
C#

Miss American Pie
F#
F#

B
B

Drove my Chevy to the levee,
F#
F#

C#
C#

but the levee was dry
F#
F#

B
B

Them good ol' boys were drinkin'
F#
F#

C#
C#

whiskey and rye
B
B

C#
C#

F#
F#

B
B

Singin', "This'll be the day that I die"

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TunerE A D G B E
ChordsF# C# D#m G#m B...

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