The Day The Music Died

by Don McLean

A long, long time ago… I can still remember how

How the 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, bye, bye miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

And good ol’ boys were drinking whisky and rye

Singing this will be the day that I die

This will 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

Do you believe in rock n roll

Can music save your mortal soul

Then you can teach me 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

Then I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

but I knew that I was out of luck

The day the music died

I started singin’…

Bye, bye miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

And good ol’ boys were drinking whisky and rye

Singing this will be the day that I die

This will be the day that I die

Now for 10 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

While Lennon read the book of Marx

The quartet kept practice in the park

And we sang dirges in the dark

The day the music died

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

The birds flew off with the fallout shelter

Eight miles high and falling 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 halftime air was sweet perfume

While sergeants played a marching tune

We all got up to dance

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...

Bye, bye miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

And good ol’ boys were drinking whisky and rye

Singing this will be the day that I die

This will be the day that I die

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

‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.

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 flames climbed high into the night

To light the sacrificial rite

I saw Satan laughing with delight

The day the music died.

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 Holy Ghost

They caught the last train for the coast

The day the music died

They were singin’...

Bye, bye miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

And good ol’ boys were drinking whisky and rye

Singing this will be the day that I die

This will be the day that I die

So...

Bye, bye miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

And good ol’ boys were drinking whisky and rye

Singing this will be the day that I die

This will be the day that I die