Here's one of two posts I had originally sent to jamesb's account at
American Pie - Don McLean
As requested on a.g.t., here is the complete CRD plus lyrics for the full version of Don McLean's "American Pie". Should be a long file. Anyway, I got the original chords from the sheet music and then sort of played with 'em until it sounds right; where I change em I'll put the published chords in parentheses above. I've tried to place the chords as close to where they should be strummed as possible. Also, at the end of a couple lines that end in a D you may wish to embelish the strumming with a Dsus4. Happy playing :)
Define chords:
Chord e a d g b e ----- - - - - - - A7 x 0 2 0 2 0 Am x 0 2 2 1 0 Am7 x 0 2 0 1 0 Am7* x 0 2 2 1 3 C x 3 2 0 1 0 D x x 0 2 3 2 Dsus4 x x 0 2 3 3 D7 x x 0 2 1 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 3
American Pie - Don McLean -------------------------
A long, long time ago,
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I know 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
Something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
*Chorus*
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die
*Verse*
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in god above, if the bible tells you so?
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 'cuz 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, I started singin'
*Chorus*
*Other verses*
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 in a voice that came from you and me 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 singin'
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 at halftime there was sweet perfume, while sergeants played a marching tune We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance 'Cuz the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield Do you recall what was the feel the day the music died, we started singin'
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 candle stick, 'cuz 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 bread 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 singin'
*Last verse*
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 (G) (Am) (G) (C) (Em)
Where I'd heard the music years before, but the man there said the music
wouldn't play
But 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 (G)
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 singin'
*Final Chorus*
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day that I die.
/: Andrew Fowler (Zanar on the net) Snail Mail: \: Phone (IRL): 203-782-1379
