Hey everybody!  This is my version of American Pie.  I got most of it
off somebody else's tabs, but they were slightly incorrect so I fixed
them.  The auther's name was not given.  Neways....These are a helluv
alot better.  I hope ya can read em in chord pro.  Cyaz...Jen

Don Mclean-American Pie
   (First 2 verses [until the chorus] strum each chord only once.  At the
chorus, a regular strumming pattern appears.  Listen to the record to get that
right.)
A [G]long [D] long [Em7] time ago [Am] I can still re[C]member
how that [Em]music used to make me [D]smile And [G]I knew [D]if I had
[Em7]my chance that [Am]I could make those [C]people dance and
[Em]maybe they'd be [C]happy for a [D]while.

[Em]But February [Am]made me shiver [Em]With every paper [Am]I'd
deliver [C]Bad news [G]on the [Am]doorstep I c[C]ouldn't take one
[D]more step I [G]can't re[D]member if I [Em]cried When I [Am7]read
about his [D]widowed bride. But [G]something [D]touched me [Em]deep
inside The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died

(start strumming until SINGING through DIE which are single strums)
So
[G]bye [C]bye Miss A[G]merican [D]Pie Drove my [G]chevy to the
[C]levy But the [G]levy was [D]dry.  And them [G]good old [C]boys were
drinking [G]whiskey and [D]rye.  Singin' [Em]this'll be the day that
I [Am]die [Em]this'll be the day that I [D7]die.  [D7-Am-D7-G-D7-Am-D7]
(The little chord pattern on the end of it only goes on a couple times.)

(start regular strumming pattern here)
[G]Did you write the [Am]book of love And do [C]you have faith in
[Am]God above?  [Em]If the Bible [D]tells you so. [D-G-D-Am-D]  Do
[G]you be[D]lieve in [Em]Rock 'n Roll?   Can [Am7]music save your
[C]mortal soul? And [Em]can you teach me [A7]how to dance [D]real
slow?

(The chords between the words WELL and GYM are strum once. Rest is
reg.)
Well, I [Em]know that you're in [D]love with him 'cause I [Em]saw you
dancin' [D]in the gym.  You [C]both kicked [G]off your [D] shoes Man,
I [C]dig those [G] rythmny [D7]blues.  I was a [G]lonely [D]teenage
[Em]broncin' buck With a [Am]pink carnation and a [C]pickup truck.
But [G]I knew [D]I was [Em]out of luck The [C]day the [D7]music
[G]died [C-G]

I started singin'
{c: chorus}

[G]Now for ten years we've been [Am]on our own And [C]moss grows fat
on a [Am]rollin' stone [Em]  But that's not how it [D]used to be
[G-D-Am-D] When the [G]jester [D]sang for the [Em]King and Queen.  In
a [Am7]coat he borrowed [C]from James Dean And a [Em]voice that
[A7]came from [D]you and me.

(From OH to CROWN strum chord once.  Then to pattern again.)
Oh, and [Em]while the King was [D]looking down The [Em]jester stole
his [D]thorny crown  The [C]courtroom [G] was ad[D]journed No
[C]verdict was re[D7]turned And while [G]Lennon [D]read a [Em]book of
Marx The [Am]court kept practice [C]in the park.  And [G]we sang
[D]dirges [Em]in the dark The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died.[C-G]

We were singing
{c:chorus}

[G]Helter-Skelter in a [Am]summer swelter The [C]Byrds flew off with a
[Am]fallout shelter.  [Em]Eight Miles High and [D]falling fast
[D-G-D-Am-D] It [G]landed [D]foul out [Em]on the grass. The
[Am7]players tried [C]for a forward pass But the [Em]jester's [A7]on
the sidelines [D]in a cast.

Now the [Em]half-time air was [D]sweet perfume While the [Em]sargeants
played a [D]marching tune  [C]We all [G]got up to [D]dance But we
[C]never got [D7]the chance.  'cause the [G]players [D]tried to
[Em]take the field The [Am]marching band re[C]fused to yield[G]Do you
[D]recall [Em]what was reveiled the [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died?[C-G]

We stared singing
{c:chorus}

[G]Oh, and there we were all [Am]in one place A [C]generation
[Am]Lost in Space [Em]With no time left to [D]start again [D-G-D-Am-D]
So come on, [G]Jack be nimble.  [Em]Jack be quick Jack [Am7]Flash sat
on a [C]candlestick 'cause [Em]fire is the [A7]Devil's only [D]friend

(From OH to RAGE strum each chord once)
Oh, and [Em]as I watched him [D]on the stage My [Em]hands were
clenched in [D]fists of rage  [C]No angel [G]born in [D]hell Could
[C]break that Satan's [D7]spell  And as the [G]flames climbed [D]high
in[Em]to the night To [Am]light the sacri[C]fical rite. I saw [G]Satan
[D]laughing [Em]with delight The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died [C-G]

He was singing
{c:chorus}

(Next 2 verses [until chorus] strum each chord only once)
I [G]met a [D]girl who sang the [Am]blues And I [C]asked her for some
[Am]happy news.  But [Em]she just smiled and turned [D]away I [G]went
down [D]to the sacred [Em7]store.  Where I'd [Am]heard the music
[C]years before But the [Em]man there said the [A7]music woudn't
[D]play.

And in the [Em]streets the children [D]screamed The [Em]lovers cried,
and the poets [D]dreamed [C]But not a [G]word was [A7]spoken The
[C]Church bells all were [D7]broken And [G]three men [D]I
ad[Em]mire most The [Am]Father, Son and the [C]Holy Ghost.  They
[G]caught the [D]last train [Em]for the coast The [C]Day the [D7]Music
[G]Died.

And they were singing
{c:chorus}

They were singing
[G]bye [C]bye Miss A[G]merican [D]Pie Drove my [G]chevy to the [C]levy
But the [G]levy was [D]dry.  And them [G]good old [C]boys were
drinking [G]whiskey and [D]rye.  Singin' [G]this'll be the [D]day
that I [G]die [C-G]


    This is the original transcript of the song....



#
{t:American Pie}
{st:Don McLean}

A [G]long [D]long [Em7]time ago [Am]I can still re[C]member
how that [Em]music used to make me [D]smile And [G]I knew [D]if I had [Em7]my chance
that [Am]I could make those [C]people dance and [Em]maybe they'd be [C]happy for a [D]while.[Em]

But February [Am]made me shiver [Em]With every paper [Am]I'd deliver
[C]Bad news [G-B]on the [Am]doorstep I c[C]ouldn't take one [D]more step
I [G]can't re[D]member if I [Em]cried When I [Am7]read about his [D]widowed bride
But [G]something [D]touched me deep inside The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died [C-G]      [G]

So
{soc}
[G]bye [C]bye Miss A[G]merican [D]Pie Drove my [G]chevy to the [C]levy But the [G]levy was [D]dry
And them [G]good old [C]boys were drinking [G]whiskey and [D]rye
Singin' [Em]this'll be the day that I [A7]die [Em]this'll be the day that I [D7]die.
{eoc}

[G]Did you write the [Am]book of love And do [C]you have faith in [Am]God above?
[Em]  If the Bible [D]tells you so.  Do [G]you be[D]lieve in [Em]Rock 'n Roll?
Can [Am7]music save your [C]mortal soul? And [Em]can you teach me [A7]how to dance [D]real slow?

Well, I [Em]know that you're in [D]love with him 'cause I [Em]saw you dancin' [D]in the gym
You [C]both kicked [G-B]off your [A7]shoes Man, I [C]dig those rythmny [D7]blues
I was a [G]lonely [D]teenage [Em]broncin' buck With a [Am]pink carnation and a [C]pickup truck.
But [G]I knew [D]I was [Em]out of luck The [C]day the [D7]music [G]died[C]

I started singin'
{c: chorus}

[G]Now for ten years we've been [Am]on our own And [C]moss grows fat on a [Am]rollin' stone
[Em]  But that's not how it [D]used to be When the [G]jester [D]sang for the [Em]King and Queen
In a [Am7]coat he borrowed [C]from James Dean And a [Em]voice that [A7]came from [D]you and me

Oh, and [Em]while the King was [D]looking down The [Em]jester stole his [D]thorny crown
The [C]courtroom [G-B]was ad[A7]journed No [C]verdict was re[D7]turned
And while [G]Lennon [D]read a [Em]book of Marx The [Am]court kept practice [C]in the park
And [G]we sang [D]dirges [Em]in the dark The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died.[C]

We were singing
{c:chorus}

[G]Helter-Skelter in a [Am]summer [Am]swelter The [C]Byrds flew off with a [Am]fallout shelter
[Em]Eight Miles High and [D]falling fast It [G]landed [D]foul out [Em]on the grass
The [Am7]players tried [C]for a forward pass But the [Em]jester's [A7]on the sidelines [D]in a cast

Now the [Em]half-time air was [D]sweet perfume While the [Em]sargeants played a [D]marching tune
[C]We all [G-B]got up to [A7]dance But we [C]never got [D7]the chance
'cause the [G]players [D]tried to [Em]take the field The [Am]marching band re[C]fused to yield
[G]Do you [D]recall [Em]what was reveiled the [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died?[C]   [G]

We stared singing
{c:chorus}

[G]Oh, and there we were all [Am]in one place A [C]generation [Am]Lost in Space
[Em]With no time left to [D]start again So come on, [G]Jack be nimble
[Em]Jack be quick Jack [Am7]Flash sat on a [C]candlestick 'cause [Em]fire is the [A7]Devil's only [D]friend

Oh, and [Em]as I watched him [D]on the stage My [Em]hands were clenched in [D]fists of rage
[C]No angel [G]born in [A7]hell Could [C]break that Satan's [D7]spell
And as the [G]flames climbed [D]high in[Em]to the night To [Am]light the sacri[C]fical rite
I saw [G]Satan [D]laughing [Em]with delight The [C]day the [D7]Music [G]Died [C]   [G]

He was singing
{c:chorus}

I [G]met a girl who sang the [Am]blues And I [C]asked her for some [Am]happy news
But [Em]she just smiled and turned [D]away I [G]went down to the sacred [D]store
Where I'd [Em]heard the music [Am7]years before But the [Em]man there said the [A7]music woudn't [D]play

And in the [Em]streets the children [D]screamed The [Em]lovers cried, and the poets [D]dreamed
[C]But not a [G]word was [A7]spoken The [C]Church bells all were [D7]broken
And [G]three men I [D]admire most The [Em]Father, [Am]Son and the [C]Holy Ghost
They [G]caught the [D]last train [Em]for the coast The [C]Day the [D7]Music [G]Died.[C]   [G]

And they were singing
{c:chorus}

They were singing
{c:chorus}