Don McLean: “American Pie” (Audio, with Lyrics)

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix
 

lukutiss1324
Published on Aug 14, 2008

 

 

Words & Music by Don McLean

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.

So bye-bye, Miss American Pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry,
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye,
Singin,’ “This'll be the day that I die,
“This'll 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,
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.

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 and rye,
And singin,’ “This’ll be the day that I die.
“This’ll be the day that I die."

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 of Marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark,
The day the music died.

We were singing,
“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,”
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye,
And singin,’ “This’ll be the day that I die,”
“This'll be the day that I die.”

Helter skelter in summer swelter,
The birds flew off with a 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 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?

We started singing,
“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,”
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry,
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye,
And singin,’ “This'll be the day that I die.
“This'll be the day that I die.”

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 flames climbed high into the night,
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw Satan laughing with delight,
The day the music died.

He was singing,
“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie.”
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry,
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye,
And singin,’ “This’ll be the day that I die.”
“This'll be the day that I die.”

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.

And they were singing,
“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,”
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry,
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye,
Singin,’ “This’ll be the day that I die.”
“This’ll be the day that I die.”

They were singing,
“Bye-bye, Miss American Pie,”
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry,
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye,
Singin,’ “This’ll be the day that I die.”


Don McLean (1945-) was inspired to write “American Pie” by the death of rock and roll singer-songwriter Buddy Holly, in a plane crash that also took the lives of young singer Ritchie Valens (“La Bamba”), the Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson, on February 3, 1959.

The single was released in November 1971, and shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for four weeks. I heard it hundreds of times played on radios for months, and never tired of it. I am sure that it sold at least two million singles, but have tried repeatedly to determine its sales, without any luck. I do know that the song , though nominated for Grammies for Song and Record of the Year, lost out in both cases to “The First Time ever I Saw Your Face.”

Don McLean was obsessed with artists, and thus wrote his follow-up song, “Vincent,” about artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890).

It bombed.

This broke the composer’s heart, and practically ended his composing career. At least, he did not follow the example of his artistic hero, and the aging McLean has periodically given concerts for his aging but loyal fans.