American Pie, by Don McLean - guitarplayerbox - Easy guitar songs for guitar beginners and newcomers. Best songs to learn on guitar

American Pie

Don McLean

Chords used in this song: A, Am, C, D, Em, G
AChord: A
AmChord: Am
CChord: C
DChord: D
EmChord: Em
GChord: G
[Verse]
  G     D    Em
A long, long time ago,
Am            C
I can still remember,
              Em                D
how that music used to make me smile.
    G           D   Em
And I knew if I had my chance,
     Am                 C
that I could make those people dance,
    Em              C           D
and maybe they'd by happy for a while.
Em           Am
But February made me shiver,
Em               Am
with every paper I'd deliver.
C        G           Am
Bad news on the doorstep;
  C                       D
I couldn't take one more step
  G       D           Em
I can't remember if I cried,
       Am             D
when I read about his widowed bride;
G         D          Em
something touched me deep inside,
    C       D     G      \
the day the music died.


[Chorus]
    G   C         G        D
So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
         G            C             G         D
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
     G        C                  G           D
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
        Em~                       A~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
Em~                       D
this'll be the day that I die.


[Verse]
G                 Am
Did you write the book of love,
       C                 Am
and do you have faith in God above,
Em           D
if the Bible tells you so?
       G     D        Em
Now do you believe in rock and roll,
    Am              C
can music save your mortal soul?
   Em                A            D
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?


[Verse]
       Em~                 Am~
Well I know that you're in love with him,
         Em~             Am~
'cause I saw you dancing in the gym
    C    G               A
You both kicked off your shoes,
      C                    D
man I dig those rhythm and blues!
        G      D       Em
I was a lonely teenage bronching buck,
       Am                   C
with a pink carnation and a pick-up truck.
    G      D     Em              C        D     G
But I knew I was out of luck the day, the music died.
G         D
I started singing


[Chorus]
G   C         G        D
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
         G            C             G         D
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
     G        C                  G           D
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
        Em~                       A~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
Em~                       D
this'll be the day that I die.


[Verse]
        G                     Am
Now for ten years, we've been on our own;
    C                   Am
and moss grows fat on a rolling stone,
    Em                D
but that's not how it used to be.
         G      D            Em
When the jester sang for the King and
            Am               C
Queen, in a coat he borrowed from James Dean,
      Em         A                 D
and a voice that came from you and me


[Verse]
        Em~                Am~
Oh, and while the king was looking down,
    Em~              Am~
the jester stole his thorny crown,
    C          G      A
the court room was adjourned,
   C             D
no verdict was returned.
          G      D      Em
And while Lennon read a book on Marx,
    Am                C
the quartet practiced in the park;
    G       D      Em
and we sang dirges in the dark,
    C       D     G
the day the music died,
        D
we were singing


[Chorus]
G   C         G        D
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
         G            C             G         D
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
     G        C                  G           D
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
        Em~                       A~
singing this'll be the day that I die,
Em~                       D
this'll be the day that I die.
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