Mclean Don - American Pie tab
Learn to play "American Pie" with online video lessons

e: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 16:51:51 +1100 (EST)
From: The Loan Arranger 
Subject: m/mclean_don/american_pie.crd


    American Pie

Don McLean
"American Pie"


    Performance Notes:
  Acoustic guitar, with open position chords.

  Chords
G   320033
D   xx0232
Em7 022030
Am  x02210
C   x32010
Em  022000
D7  xx0212
Am7 x02010 or x02213
A7  x02020 or x02223


    Prologue  (Strum Freely / Slowly  usu. only the once per chord) 
   G      D    Em7       Am               C
A | long, long time ago | I can still remember how that | 

 Em                      D                G         D      Em7     (G)
| music used to make me smile |      And | I knew if I had my chance that |
 
 Am       (G)        C                 Em               C
| I could make those people dance and | maybe they'd be happy for a |

 D         Em             Am             Em                    Am  
| while   | But February made me shiver | with every newspaper I'd deliver |

 C        G      Am           C                  D
| Bad news on the doorstep I | couldn't take one more step I |

                                    (C)             (D7)
 G        D            Em   (G)     Am7             D
| can't remember if I cried when I | read about his widowed bride, But |

                                                
 G            D        Em                C  (Am7) D7      G    C    G  (D7)
| something touched me deep in-side the | day the music | died    |        |
                                                           Del Segna al Coda
                    (Play from Segna till it says to go to the Coda)

    Chorus ( in a slightly faster tempo )
   (SEGNA)
   
   |*G    C            G           D                G        C
So |* bye-bye, Miss A_|_merican Pie Drove my Chevy | to the levee but the |

 G           D         G           C                G             D  TO CODA
| levee was dry. Them |good ole boys were drinking |whiskey and rye Singing |

  Em                         A7       Em                          D7
| this'll be the day that I | die    | This'll be the day that I | die |    |  


    Verses 1,2,3,4.

|G   |Am  |C    |Am   |Em    |D    |  %  |G  D  |Em   |Am7   |C   |Em    |     

|A7  |D   |  %  |Em   |D     |Em   |D    |C  G  |A7   |C     |D7  |G  D  | 
                                                 _______
                                                | 1.2.3.
                                                       *|
|Em  |Am  |C    |G  D |Em    |C    |D7   |G  C  |G  D7 *|       
 ______
| 4.

|G       D       |D   C   |G   D   |G   C   |G   D   |G   C   |G   D   |
| He was singing | etc.

|Em     |A7     |Em     |D7     |       

    For the 5th verse, play the prologue, adding the chords in (x) in and
substituting a chord for a previousey written one when you see   (C)
                                                                 Am7
(Ie: play a C instaid of, not as well as, the Am7)

Also remember to go back to the slow strumming for the 5th verse.

    Coda

 C                  D7           G    C     G
| This'll be the day that I die |              |

Verse Lyrics
2.
Now for ten years we've been on our own and moss grows fat on a rolling 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 come form 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 on Marx the quartet practised in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

3.
Helter Skelter in the summer swelter the birds flew off with a fallout 
    shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast, it lounded 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 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

4.
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 id the devil's only friend
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 higher into the night to light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

5.
I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news
But she just smile and turned away
I went down to the sacred store where I 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 Hoy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.


Written out by The Loan Arranger       c9609436@alinga.newcastle.edu.au
20/11/96 (rev 11/97)


#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##

From: Vincent Vega 

                       AMERICAN PIE                          submitted by:
                     Don McLean                            Dave Waite
INTRO:
  G     D/F#  Em7      Am            C
A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that 
Em                    D
music used to make me smile.
G          D/F#  Em7           Am                 C
I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance and
Em              C           D
maybe they'd be happy for a while.
Em            Am             Em               Am
But February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver.
C        G/B    Am          C                  D
Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step.
  G        D/F#       Em           Am7              D
I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride,
G         D/F#       Em               C        D7     G     C   G
Something touched me deep inside, the day, the music, died.
   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 drinkin' whiskey and rye, singin'
Em                        A7   Em                        D7
This'll be the day that I die, This'll be the day that I die.

VERSE:
G                 Am                    C               Am
Did you write the book of love and do you have faith in God above?
Em              D
If the Bible tells you so.
G            D/F#     Em
Now do you believe in rock and roll
    Am7             C
Can music save your mortal soul and
Em                      A7    D
Can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Em                          D
Well, I know that you're in love with him,
        Em              D
Cause I saw you dancing in the gym, 
    C           G               A7
You both kicked off your shoes, 
      C                    D7
Man I dig those rhythm and blues.
        G      D/F#    Em       
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck with a
Am                    C
Pink carnation and a pick up truck,
    G     D/F#     Em              C       D7       G     C
But I knew I was out of luck the day, the music, died.
G              D7                         D7
    I started singing, Bye - bye..........die

VERSE:2
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 Lenin read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day, the music, died.     We were singin'   Bye - bye.....die.

VERSE:3
Helter-skelter in the summer swelter,
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter.
Eight miles high and fallin' fast,
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.
Now that halftime air was sweet perfume,
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance, 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 singin'...........die.

VERSE:4
And there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space.
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick.
Cause fire is the devil's only friend.
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 sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day, the music, died.
He was singin'....................die.

OUTRO:
G        D/F#     Em        
 I met a girl who sang the blues and I
Am                 C
Asked her for some happy news, 
    Em                   D
But she just smiled and turned away.
G      D/F#        Em          G
I went down to the sacred store where I
Am        G/B    C
Heard the music years before, but the
Em                 C              D
man there said the music wouldn't play.
    Em                 Am 
And in the streets the children screamed,
    Em                   Am
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed.
    C     G/B       Am
But not a word was spoken,
     C                     D
The church bells all were broken.
        G        D/F#  Em  G/B
And the three men I admire most, 
    C                    D7
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost, 
     G          D/F#       Em
They caught the last train for the coast,
    C       Am7 D7  G
The day, the music, died.
              D7
And they were singin'...............
                                    
C                D7          G        C        G
This'll be the day that I die________.

END (finally!)


I'm _not_ going back through that to check the spelling, so I hope it's 
okay. If you're a beginner, try playing the D/F# as just a D for now,
but that's the only chord that could possibly be a problem. Other than
that, a pretty easy song! enjoy!

--
***************************************************************************
DAVE S. WAITE           #  "Watch out where the huskies go 
dwaite@uoguelph.ca      #   And don't you eat that yellow snow."
GO LEAFS                #      Frank Zappa
***************************************************************************
 
                          

--
***************************************************************************
DAVE S. WAITE           #  "Watch out where the huskies go 
dwaite@uoguelph.ca      #   And don't you eat that yellow snow."
GO LEAFS                #      Frank Zappa
***************************************************************************