[Intro BPM 138] A [G] long, [D/F#] long time [Em7] ago [Am] I can still re [C] member how that [Em] music used to make me [D] smile And [G] I knew [D/F#] 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
But [Em] February [Am] made me shiver, [Em] with every paper I'd [Am] deliver [C] Bad news [G/B] on the [Am] doorstep, I couldn't [C] take one more step [D] I [G] can't remem [D/F#] ber if I [Em] cried when I [Am7] read about his [D] widowed bride [G] Something [D/F#] touched me [Em] deep inside The [C] day the [D7] music died [G]
[Chorus] So [G] bye, [C] bye Miss [G] American [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 drinkin' [G] whiskey and [D] rye Singin' [Em*] this will be the day that I [A7*] die, [Em*] this will be the day that I die [D7]
[Verse 2] [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? [G] Do you [D/F#] believe in [Em] rock and 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 'cuz I [Em*] saw you dancin' [D*] in the gym You [C] both kicked [G/B] off your [Am] shoes, man I [C] dig those rhythm and [D7] blues I was a [G] lonely [D/F#] teenage [Em] bronckin' buck with a [Am] pink carnation and a [C] pickup truck But [G] I knew [D/F#] I was [Em] out of luck the [C] day the [D7] music [G] died [C] , [G] I started [D] singin'
[Chorus] So [G] bye, [C] bye Miss [G] American [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 drinkin' [G] whiskey and [D] rye Singin' [Em*] this will be the day that I [A7*] die, [Em*] this will be the day that I die [D7]
[Verse 3] Now for [G] ten years we've been [Am] on our own and [C] moss grows fat on a [Am] rolling stone [Em] but that's not how it [D] used to be When the [G] jester [D/F#] sang for the king [Em] and queen in a [Am7] coat he borrowed [C] from James Dean in a [Em] voice that came [A7] from you and [D] me
Oh, and [Em*] while the king was [D*] looking down, the [Em*] jester stole his thorny [D*] crown The [C] courtroom [G/B] was ad [A7] journed, [C] no verdict was re [D7] turned And while [G] Lennin read [D/F#] a book [Em] on Marx, the [Am] quartet practiced [C] in the park And [G] we sang [D/F#] dirges [Em] in the dark the [C] day the [D7] music [G] died [C] , [G] we were [D] singin'
[Chorus] [G] bye, [C] bye Miss [G] American [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 drinkin' [G] whiskey and [D] rye Singin' [Em*] this will be the day that I [A7*] die, [Em*] this will be the day that I die [D7]
[Verse 4] [G] Helter skelter in a [Am] summer swelter [C] the birds flew off with [Am] a fallout shelter, [Em] eight miles high and [D] fallin' fast [G] It landed [D/F#] foul [Em] on the grass the [Am7] players tried for a [C] forward pass [Em] with the jester on the [A7] sidelines in a [D] cast
Now the [Em*] half-time air was [D*] sweet perfume, while [Em*] sergeants played a [D*] marching tune [C] We all got [G/B] up to dance [A7] but we [C] never got the [D7] chance 'Cuz the [G] players [D/F#] tried to [Em] take the field, the [Am] marching band re [C] fused to yield Do [G] you re [D/F#] call what [Em] was revealed the [C] day the [D7] music [G] died [C] , [G] we started [D] singin'
[Chorus] [G] bye, [C] bye Miss [G] American [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 drinkin' [G] whiskey and [D] rye Singin' [Em*] this will be the day that I [A7*] die, [Em*] this will be the day that I die [D7]
[Verse 5] And [G] 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 [D/F#] nimble, [Em] Jack be quick, [Am7] Jack Flash sat on a [C] candle stick, [Em] 'cuz fire is the devil's [A7] only friend [D]
And as [Em*] I watched him [D*] on the stage, my [Em*] hands were clenched in [D*] fists of rage No [C] angel [G/B] born in [A7] Hell could [C] break that Satan's [D7] spell And as the [G] flames climbed [D/F#] high into [Em] the night to [Am] light the sacri [C] ficial rite I saw [G] Satan [D/F#] laughing [Em] with delight the [C] day the [D7] music [G] died [C][G] he was [D] singin'
[Chorus] [G] bye, [C] bye Miss [G] American [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 drinkin' [G] whiskey and [D] rye Singin' [Em*] this will be the day that I [A7*] die, [Em*] this will be the day that I die [D7]
[Verse 6] I [G] met a [D/F#] girl who [Em] sang the blues And I [Am] asked her for some [C] happy news, but [Em] she just smiled and turned [D] away I [G] went down [D/F#] to the [Em] sacred store Where I'd [Am] heard the music [C] years before, but [Em] the man there said [C] the music wouldn't [D] play
But [Em*] in the streets the [Am*] children screamed, the [Em*] lovers cried and the [Am*] poets dreamed But [C] not a [G/B] word was [Am] spoken, the [C] church bells all were [D] broken And the [G] three men [D/F#] I admire [Em] most, the [Am7] Father, [C] Son, and the [D7] Holy Ghost [G] They caught the [D/F#] last train [Em] for the coast the [C] day the [D7] music [G] died, [N.C.] And they were singin'
[Chorus] [G] bye, [C] bye Miss [G] American [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 drinkin' [G] whiskey and [D] rye Singin' [Em*] this will be the day that I [A7*] die, [Em*] this will be the day that I die [D7]
They were singin' [G] bye, [C] bye Miss [G] American [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 drinkin' [G] whiskey and [D] rye Singin' [C] this will be the [D7] day that I [G] die [C][G]
Play the NOTES D,E,G,A. (D 0h2 G 0h2) Then play barre CHORDS: G D/F# Em D - C Bm C D then straight into the verse
[Verse 1 - No drums] I [Em] left my heart to the [C] sappers round Khe Sanh [G][C][G][D] And my [Em] soul was sold with my [C] cigarettes to the [D] Black [D6] market [D7] man [B] I've had the [Em] Vietnam cold [C] turkey, from the [G] ocean to the [G/F#] silver [C] city And it's [Am] only other [F] vets would understand [D][D6][D7][B] About the [Em] long forgotten [C] dockside guarantees [G][C][G][D] How there were [Em] no V-day [C] heroes in [D] 19 [D6] 7 [D7] 3 [B] How we [Em] sailed into Sydney [C] harbour, Saw an [G] old friend but [G/F#] couldn't [C] kiss her She was [Am] lined, and I was [D] home to the lucky land [G][C][G][D]
[Verse 2 - Drums in] And she was [Em] like so many [C] more from that time on [G][C][G][D] Their [Em] lives were all so [C] empty, till they [D] found their [D6] chosen [D7] one [B] And their [Em] legs were often [C] open But their [G] minds were [G/F#] always [C] closed And their [Am] hearts were held in [F] fast suburban [D] chains [D6][D7][B]
And the [Em] legal pads were [C] yellow, hours [G] long, pay [C] packet [G] lean [D] And the [Em] telex writers [C] clattered where the [D] gunships [D6] once had [D7] been [B] But the [Em] car parks made me [C] jumpy And I [G] never [G/F#] stopped the [C] dreams Or the [Am] growing need for [D] speed and novacaine [G][C][G][D]
[Verse 3] So I [Em] worked across the [C] country end to end [G][C][G][D] Tried to [Em] find a place to [C] settle down, where my [D] mixed up [D6] life could [D7] mend [B] Held a [Em] job on an [C] oil-rig Flying [G] choppers [G/F#] when I [C] could But the [Am] nightlife nearly [F] drove me round the bend [D][D6][D7][B] And I've [Em] travelled round the [C] world from year to year [G][C][G][D] And [Em] each one found me [C] aimless, one more [D] year the [D6] worse for [D7] wear [B] And I've been [Em] back to South East [C] Asia But the [G] answer [G/F#] sure ain't [C] there But I'm [Am] drifting north, to [D] check things out a [G] gain [C][G][D]
[Synth Solo CHORDS] Em C G D Em C D B Em C G C Am D (G C G D)
[Verse 4] You know the [Em] last plane out of [C] Sydney's almost gone [G][C][G][D] Only [Em] seven flying [C] hours, and I'll be [D] landing [D6] in Hong [D7] Kong [B] There ain't [Em] nothing like the [C] kisses From a [G] jaded [G/F#] Chinese [C] princess I'm gonna [Am] hit some Hong Kong [F] mattress all night long [D][D6][D7][B]
Well the [Em] last plane out of [C] Sydney's almost gone [G][C][G][D] Yeah the [Em] last plane out of [C] Sydney's almost gone [D][D6][D7][B] And it's [Em] really got me [C] worried I'm goin' [G] nowhere [G/F#] and I'm [C] in a hurry You know the [Am] last plane out of [D] Sydney's almost gone [G][C][G][D] (Repeat from "Last Plane" one time) G C G C - G C G G [End]
[Other Notes] Original D (x5777x) D6 (x57777) D7 (x57778) Ebdim (x6787x) (Can replace Bmaj with Ebdim as per above but fuller with B)
