G      C  Em  
A long  long time ago...  
Am            Em 
I can still remember  
         C                    D   (D9 D D4 D  
How that music used to make me smile  
    G          C    Em  
And I knew if I had my chance  
     Am                 Em 
That I could make those people dance  
     Em               C           D  
And maybe  they?d be happy for a while  
     G  C      Em  
But february made me shiver  
       Am          Em      
With every paper I?d deliver.  
 Em   C               D  
Bad news on the doorstep  
C                   D             Same for all the verses.  
I couldn?t take one more step  
  G      D/F#      Em  
I can?t remember if I cried  
       Am              C  
When I read about his widowed bride  
G             D/F#       Em  
But something touched me deep inside  
C           D     G  
The day the music died  
   
  G   C          G       D  
So bye-bye  miss american pie  
         G            C  
Drove my chevy to the levee  
        G         D  
But the levee was dry  
         G        C                   G          D  
And them good old boys were drinkin? whiskey and rye  
         Em                        A7  
Singin?  this?ll be the day that I die  
 Em                       D   (D9 D D4 D D9 D)  
This?ll be the day that I die  
G   D/F#          Em  
Did you write the book of love  
       Am                C  
And do you have faith in God above  
Em            D           (D4 D D9 D)  
If the Bible tells you so?   
   G     D/F#     Em  
Do you believe in rock ?n roll  
    Am          C  
Can music save your mortal soul  
   Em               C             D  
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?   
        Em                  D  
Well  I know that you?re in love with him  
       Em                D  
`cause I saw you dancin? in the gym  
    C           Em7/B    Am   
You both kicked off your shoe  
       C                    D  
Man  I dig those rhythm and blues  
        G     D/F#     Em  
I was a lonely teenage broncin? buck  
       Am                   C  
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck  
    G     D/F#   Em  
But I knew I was out of luck  
    C       D     G  
The day the music died  
I started singin?  
G   C          G       D  
Bye-bye  miss american pie  
         G            C  
Drove my chevy to the levee  
        G         D  
But the levee was dry  
         G        C                   G          D  
And them good old boys were drinkin? whiskey and rye  
         Em                        A7  
Singin?  this?ll be the day that I die  
 Em                       D  (D9 D D4 D D9 D)  
This?ll be the day that I die  
        G      D/F#          Em  
Now for ten years we?ve been on our own  
    Am                C  
And moss grows fat on a rollin? stone  
  Em                  D         (D4 D D9 D)  
But that?s not how it used to be  
         G      D/F#         Em  
When the jester sang for the king and queen  
     Am               C  
In a coat he borrowed from james dean  
      Em         Am                D  
And a voice that came from you and me  
        Em                 D  
Oh  and while the king was looking down  
    Em              D  
The jester stole his thorny crown  
    C    Em7/B       Am  
The courtroom was adjourned  
C                D  
No verdict was returned  
        G       D/F#   Em  
And while lenin read a book of marx  
    Am            C  
The quartet practiced in the park  
    G      D/F#  Em  
And we sang dirges in the dark  
    C       D     G  
The day the music died  
We were singing  
G   C          G       D  
Bye-bye  miss american pie  
         G            C  
Drove my chevy to the levee  
        G         D  
But the levee was dry  
         G        C                   G          D  
And them good old boys were drinkin? whiskey and rye  
         Em                        A7  
Singin?  this?ll be the day that I die  
 Em                       D  (D9 D D4 D D9 D)  
This?ll be the day that I die  
G      D/F#    Em  
Helter skelter in a summer swelter  
    Am                    C  
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter  
Em               D  
Eight miles high and falling fast  
G       D/F#   Em   
It landed foul on the grass  
    Am                  C  
The players tried for a forward pass  
         Em            Am             D  
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast  
        Em               D  
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume  
      Em                     D  
While the sergeants played a marching tune  
C       Em7/B    Am  
We all got up to dance  
        C                D  
Oh  but we never got the chance!  
           G       D/F#     Em  
`cause the players tried to take the field  
Am                  C  
The marching band refused to yield  
G        D/F#      Em  
Do you recall what was revealed  
    C       D     G  
The day the music died?   
We started singing  
G   C          G       D  
Bye-bye  miss american pie  
         G            C  
Drove my chevy to the levee  
        G         D  
But the levee was dry  
         G        C                   G          D  
And them good old boys were drinkin? whiskey and rye  
         Em                        A7  
Singin?  this?ll be the day that I die  
 Em                       D  (D9 D D4 D D9 D)  
This?ll be the day that I die  
  
    G        D/F#         Em  
Oh  and there we were all in one place  
Am           C  
A generation lost in space  
     Em               D         (D4 D D9 D)  
With no time left to start again  
        G           D/F#    Em  
So come on: jack be nimble  jack be quick!  
Am                  C  
Jack flash sat on a candlestick  
    Em            Am            D  
Cause fire is the devil?s only friend  
    Em                   D  
Oh  and as I watched him on the stage  
   Em                     D  
My hands were clenched in fists of rage  
C       Em7/B    Am  
No angel born in hell  
      C                   D  
Could break that satan?s spell  
            G            D/F#   Em  
And as the flames climbed high into the night  
Am                C  
To light the sacrificial rite  
     G      D/F#     Em  
I saw satan laughing with delight  
    C       D     G  
The day the music died  
He was singing   
  
G   C          G       D  
Bye-bye  miss american pie  
         G            C  
Drove my chevy to the levee  
        G         D  
But the levee was dry  
         G        C                   G          D  
And them good old boys were drinkin? whiskey and rye  
         Em                        A7  
Singin?  this?ll be the day that I die  
 Em                       D  
This?ll be the day that I die  
  
G       D/F#     Em  
I met a girl who sang the blues  
    Am                   C  
And I asked her for some happy news  
Em                      D          (D4 D D9 D)  
But she just smiled and turned away  
G      D/F#        Em  
I went down to the sacred store  
      Am                  C  
Where I?d heard the music years before  
Em                         Am             D  
But the man there said the music wouldn?d play  
Em                      D  
And in the streets: the children screamed  
Em                        D  
The lovers cried  and the poets dreamed  
C         Em7/B     Am  
But not a word was spoken  
    C                     D  
The church bells all were broken  
G       D/F#      Em  
And the three men I admire most  
    Am                   C  
The father  son  and the holy ghost  
G               D/F#     Em  
They caught the last train for the coast  
C           D     G  
The day the music died  
And they were singing  
  
G   C          G       D  
Bye-bye  miss american pie  
         G            C  
Drove my chevy to the levee  
        G         D  
But the levee was dry  
         G        C                   G          D  
And them good old boys were drinkin? whiskey and rye  
         Em                        A7  
Singin?  this?ll be the day that I die  
 Em                       D  (D9 D D4 D D9 D ) 
This?ll be the day that I die  
They were singing  
  
G   C          G       D  
Bye-bye  miss american pie  
         G            C  
Drove my chevy to the levee  
        G         D  
But the levee was dry  
     G         C                   G         D  
Them good old boys were drinkin? whiskey and rye  
         C              D          G  C  G  
Singin?  This?ll be the day that I d--i--e!!          (The Best!!)