American Pie

American Pie a song by Don McLean on Foxsoundi — Free Music, Smart Streaming for Everyone

American Pie by Don McLean

About American Pie

"American Pie" is a folk rock song by singer-songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was a number-one U.S. hit for four weeks in 1972. A re-release in 1991 did not chart in the U.S., but reached number 12 in the UK. The song is an abstract story surrounding "The Day the Music Died" -- the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (Giles Perry Richardson, Jr.). The .

American Pie Lyrics

[00:00.71] A long, long time ago
[00:03.76] I can still remember how that music
[00:07.75] Used to make me smile
[00:11.26] And I knew if I had my chance
[00:16.03] That I could make those people dance
[00:19.35] And maybe they'd be happy for a while
[00:24.53] But February made me shiver
[00:29.52] With every paper I'd deliver
[00:33.04] Bad news on the doorstep
[00:36.60] I couldn't take one more step
[00:39.80] I can't remember if I cried
[00:44.81] When I read about his widowed bride
[00:49.22] Something touched me deep inside
[00:53.53] The day the music died
[01:01.19] So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
[01:08.08] Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
[01:13.17] And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
[01:18.15] Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
[01:22.30] This'll be the day that I die"
[01:29.33] Did you write the book of love
[01:32.34] And do you have faith in God above
[01:35.76] If the Bible tells you so?
[01:40.29] Now, do you believe in rock 'n' roll
[01:44.08] Can music save your mortal soul
[01:47.40] And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
[01:53.79] Well, I know that you're in love with him
[01:58.06] 'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
[02:01.74] You both kicked off your shoes
[02:05.49] Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
[02:08.20] I was a lonely teenage bronckin' buck
[02:11.73] With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
[02:15.21] But I knew I was out of luck
[02:18.86] The day the music died
[02:24.09] I started singin', "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie"
[02:28.57] Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
[02:32.69] Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
[02:35.94] Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
[02:39.20] This'll be the day that I die"
[02:44.51] Now, for ten years we've been on our own
[02:48.09] And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
[02:51.71] But that's not how it used to be
[02:56.42] When the jester sang for the king and queen
[03:00.60] In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
[03:03.93] And a voice that came from you and me
[03:10.25] Oh, and while the king was looking down
[03:14.40] The jester stole his thorny crown
[03:18.12] The courtroom was adjourned
[03:21.32] No verdict was returned
[03:24.45] And while Lenin read a book on Marx
[03:28.02] A quartet practiced in the park
[03:31.86] And we sang dirges in the dark
[03:35.30] The day the music died
[03:40.19] We were singin', "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie"
[03:45.25] Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
[03:49.38] Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
[03:52.59] Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
[03:56.15] This'll be the day that I die"
[04:01.34] Helter skelter in a summer swelter
[04:05.04] The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
[04:08.54] Eight miles high and falling fast
[04:13.34] It landed foul on the grass
[04:17.48] The players tried for a forward pass
[04:20.64] With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
[04:26.22] Now, the halftime air was sweet perfume
[04:30.17] While sergeants played a marching tune
[04:34.82] We all got up to dance
[04:38.23] Oh, but we never got the chance
[04:41.14] 'Cause the players tried to take the field
[04:45.26] The marching band refused to yield
[04:48.88] Do you recall what was revealed
[04:52.79] The day the music died?
[04:57.39] We started singin', "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie"
[05:02.12] Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
[05:05.93] Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
[05:09.28] Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
[05:12.99] This'll be the day that I die"
[05:18.01] Oh, and there we were all in one place
[05:21.70] A generation lost in space
[05:25.36] With no time left to start again
[05:29.63] So, come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
[05:33.66] Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
[05:37.42] 'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
[05:43.55] Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
[05:47.65] My hands were clenched in fists of rage
[05:51.48] No angel born in Hell
[05:54.67] Could break that Satan spell
[05:57.86] And as the flames climbed high into the night
[06:01.57] To light the sacrificial rite
[06:05.26] I saw Satan laughing with delight
[06:08.62] The day the music died
[06:13.81] He was singin', "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie"
[06:18.65] Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
[06:22.54] Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
[06:25.88] Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
[06:29.75] This'll be the day that I die"
[06:35.69] I met a girl who sang the blues
[06:39.32] And I asked her for some happy news
[06:43.18] But she just smiled and turned away
[06:48.03] I went down to the sacred store
[06:51.68] Where I'd heard the music years before
[06:54.65] But the man there said the music wouldn't play
[07:02.73] And in the streets the children screamed
[07:07.17] The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
[07:10.97] But not a word was spoken
[07:14.15] The church bells all were broken
[07:18.36] And the three men I admire most
[07:22.56] The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
[07:26.35] They caught the last train for the coast
[07:30.86] The day the music died
[07:38.62] And they were singin', "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie"
[07:45.59] Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
[07:51.23] And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
[07:56.65] Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
[08:01.34] This'll be the day that I die"
[08:07.98] They were singin', "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie"
[08:13.83] Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
[08:18.82] Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
[08:23.04] Singin', "This'll be the day that I die"
[08:30.00]

From the album: 1971