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 theyґd be happy for a while But February made me shiver With every paper Iґd deliver Bad news on the doorstep I couldnґt take one more step I canґt remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride But something touched me deep inside The day the music died** So...
(Chorus) Bye, bye Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singinґ thisґll be the day that I die Thisґll 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? Now do you believe in rock and roll? Can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that youґre in love with him ґcause I saw you dancinґ in the gym You both kicked off your shoes Man, I dig those rhythm and blues I was a lonely teenage broncinґ buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck But I knew I was out of luck The day the music died I started singinґ
(Chorus)
Now, for ten years weґve been on our own And moss grows fat on a rolling stone But, thatґs 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 nd 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 practiced in the park And we sang dirges in the dark The day the music died We were singinґ
(Chorus)
Helter skelter in a summer swelter The birds flew off with a fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast Landed flat 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 sergeants played a marching tune We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance ґcause 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 singinґ
(Chorus)
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 ґcause fire is the devilґs 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 Satanґs 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 singinґ
(Chorus)
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 Iґd heard the music years before But the man there said the music wouldnґt 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
(Chorus, 2x)
**Note: ґthe day the music diedґ was February 3, 1959 when a plane crash killed Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens