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American Pie  Chords by Don Mclean

American Pie chords by Don Mclean (Ver. 2)

Guitar chords with lyrics

American Pie by Don McLean
Tabbed by: Brian Jenkins

G	320033
D	xx0232
D7	xx0121
Em	022000
Am	x02210
Am7	x02010

1st Verse:

  Em
A long, long time ago,
D
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
    Em
And I know if I had my chance,
     D
that I could make those people dance and maybe they'd be happy for a while
    Am
But February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver
D
Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step
  D
I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride,
Em
something touched me deep inside,
    G
the day the music died

Chorus:

   D
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
         D
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
         D
and them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
        D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die

2nd Verse:

Am
Did you write the book of love
       D
and do you have faith in god above, if the bible tells you so
Em
Do you believe in rock and roll,
    D
can music save your mortal soul and can you teach me how to dance real slow
       D
Well I know that you're in love with him 'cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
    D7
You both kicked off your shoes, man I dig those rhythm and blues
        C
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck with a pink carnation and a pickup truck
    G
but I knew I was out of luck the day the music died

I started singin'

Chorus:

   D
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
         D
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
         D
and them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
        D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die

3rd Verse:

        Am
Now for ten years we've been on our own,
    D
and moss grows fat on a rolling stone but that's not how it used to be
         Em
When the jester sang for the king and queen
     D
in a coat he borrowed from James Dean in a voice that came from you and me
    D
And while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown
    D7
The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned
          C
And while Lenin read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park
    G
and we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died

We were singin'

Chorus:

   D
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
         D
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
         D
and them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
        D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die

4th Verse:

Am
Helter skelter in a summer swelter,
D
the birds flew off with a fallout shelter, eight miles high and fallin' fast,
   Em
it landed foul on the grass
    D
the players tried for a forward pass, with the jester on the sidelines in a cast
       D
Now at halftime there was sweet perfume, while sergeants played a marching tune
D7
We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance
           C
'cause the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield
   G
Do you recall what was the feel the day the music died

We started singin'

Chorus:

   D
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
         D
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
         D
and them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
        D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die

5th Verse:

    Am
And there we were all in one place,
  D
a generation lost in space, with no time left to start again
           C
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candlestick,
       D
'cause fire is the devil's only friend
    D
And as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage
   D7
No angel born in Hell could bread that Satan's spell
           C
And as the flames climbed high into the night to light the sacrificial rite
      G
I saw Satan laughing with delight the day the music died

He was singin'

Chorus:

   D
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
         D
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
         D
and them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
        D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die

6th Verse:

  Em
I met a girl who sang the blues
      D
and I asked her for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away
  Em
I went down to the sacred store
          C
where I'd heard the music years before, but the man there said the music
         D
wouldn't play
    Am
But in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed
    D
But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken
        D7
And the three men I admire most, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
G
They caught the last train for the coast the day the music died,

And they were singin'

Chorus/Outro:

   D
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
         D
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
         D
and them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
        G

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Other versions of American Pie by Don Mclean