A 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

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



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

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



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

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



Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

The Byrds flew off with a fallout shelter

Eight miles high and falling fast



It landed foul out 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

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



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 the flames climbed high into the night

To light the sacrifical 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

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



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 drinking whiskey and rye

Singin' this'll be the day that I die