Written by: Don McLean
Nov '71

A long, long time ago I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died, so

[CHORUS]
Bye bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were
Drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so

Now do you believe in rock and roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me
How to dance real slow

Well, I know that you're in love with him
Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singing

[repeat CHORUS]

Now, for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that's not how it used to be

When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned

And while Lenin' read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singing

[repeat CHORUS]

Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast

Landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died
We started singing

[repeat CHORUS]

Oh, and there we were
All in one place
A generation lost in s___e
With no time left to start again

So, come on
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil's only friend

And as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell

And as the flames
Climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singing

[repeat CHORUS]

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said
The music wouldn't play

And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing

[repeat CHORUS 2x]

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