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American Pie Lyrics – Don McLean

    Don McLean American Pie Lyrics in English

    American Pie is a popular song by Don McLean from the 1971 album American Pie. For many years McLean left the meaning of the lyrics up to the speculation of others. However, he first revealed the intended meaning of his lyrics in 2015, when the original manuscript and notes were sold at an auction for $1.2 million. Check words to Don McLean American Pie Lyrics in English below.

    American Pie Lyrics – Don McLean 

    [Intro]
    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

    [Chorus]
    So bye-bye, Miss American Pie
    Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
    And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye
    Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”
    “This’ll be the day that I die”
    [Verse 1]
    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 ‘n 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 dancin’ 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

    [Chorus]
    I started singin’, “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”
    Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
    Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye
    And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”
    “This’ll be the day that I die”

    [Verse 2]
    Now, for ten years we’ve been on our own
    And moss grows fat on a rollin’ 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 Lennon read a book on Marx
    The quartet practiced in the park
    And we sang dirges in the dark
    The day the music died
    [Chorus]
    We were singin’, “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”
    Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
    Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye
    And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”
    “This’ll be the day that I die”

    [Verse 3]
    Helter skelter in a summer swelter
    The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
    Eight miles high and fallin’ fast
    It 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 the 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?

    [Chorus]
    We started singin’, “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”
    Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
    Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye
    And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”
    “This’ll be the day that I die”

    [Verse 4]
    Oh, and there we were, all in one place
    A generation lost in space
    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
    Oh, 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

    [Chorus]
    He was singin’, “Bye-bye Miss American Pie”
    Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
    Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye
    And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”
    “This’ll be the day that I die…”

    [Breakdown]
    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

    [Deleted Verse]
    And there I stood alone and afraid
    I dropped to my knees and there I prayed
    And I promised Him everything I could give
    If only He would make the music live
    And He promised it would live once more
    But this time one would equal four
    And in five years four had come to mourn
    And the music was reborn

    [Chorus]
    And they were singin’, “Bye-bye Miss American Pie”
    Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
    And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye
    Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”
    “This’ll be the day that I die”

    [Outro]
    They were singin’, “Bye-bye Miss American Pie”
    Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
    Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey ‘n rye
    Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die…”

     

    Writer(s): Don McLean

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