[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]
[Verse - Play arp but hit snare and all low strings at same time to get bass note] It's [C] nine o' - [G/B] clock on a [F/A] Saturday [C/G] [F] The regular [C/E] crowd shuffles [D7] in [G] There's an [C] old man [G/B] sitting [F/A] next to me [C/G] Making [F] love to his [G7sus4] tonic and [C] gin
He says, [C] Son, can you [G/B] play me a [F/A] memory? [C/G] I'm [F] not really sure [C/E] how it [D7] goes, [G] But it's [C] sad and it's [G/B] sweet and I [F/A] knew it complete [C/G] When [F] I wore a [G7sus4] younger man's [C] clothes
[Am] Laa la [Am/G] laa litty [D7/F#] daah,[Am/F-102210][G] [Am] La laa [Am/G] litty daa [D7/F#] daah da dum [G][G/F-120003][C/E-032013][G/D-x55433]
[Chorus] [C] Sing us a [G/B] song, you're the [F/A] piano man [C/G] [F] Sing us a [C/E] song to - [D7] night [G] .. 'Cause we're [C] all in the [G/B] mood for a [F/A] melody [C/G] ..And [F] you've got us [G7sus4] feeling all - [C] right
[Verse] Now [C] John at the [G/B] bar is a [F/A] friend of mine [C/G] He [F] gets me my [C/E] drinks for [D7] free [G] And he's [C] quick with a [G/B] joke or a [F/A] light up your [C/G] smoke, But there's [F] some place that's [G7sus4] he'd rather [C] be [C][F/C][F/C]
He says, [C] Bill, I be [G/B] lieve this is [F/A] killing me [C/G] As the [F] smile ran a - [C/E] way from his [D7] face [G] "Well, [C] I'm sure that [G/B] I could be [F/A] a movie [C/G] star If [F] I could get [G7sus4] out of this [C] place.
[Am] Laa la [Am/G] laa litty [D7/F#] daah,[Am/F-G] [Am] La laa [Am/G] litty daa [D7/F#] daah da dum [G][G/F][C/Ei][G/D]
[Verse] Now [C] Paul is a [G/B] real estate [F/A] novelist [C/G] Who [F] never had [C/E] time for a [D7] wife [G] And he's [C] talking to [G/B] Davy who's [F/A] still in the [C/G] Navy And [F] probably [G7sus4] will be for [C] life
And the [C] Waitress is [G/B] practicing [F/A] politics [C/G] As the [F] businessmen [C/E] slowly get [D7] stoned [G] Yes, they're [C] sharing a [G/B] drink they call [F/A] loneliness, [C/G] But it's [F] better than [G7sus4] drinking a - [C] lone
[Chorus] [C] Sing us a [G/B] song, you're the [F/A] piano man [C/G] [F] Sing us a [C/E] song to - [D7] night [G] 'Cause we're [C] all in the [G/B] mood for a [F/A] melody [C/G] And [F] you've got us [G7sus4] feeling all - [C] right
[Verse] It's a [C] pretty good crowd [G/B] for a [F/A] Saturday [C/G] And the [F] manager [C/E] gives me a smile [D7][G] 'Cause he [C] knows that it's [G/B] me they've been [F/A] coming to see [C/G] To for - [F] get about [G7sus4] life for a [C] while
[Small Build][C] - [C] - [F/C] - [F/C]
And the [C] piano [G/B] sounds like a [F/A] carnival [C/G] And the [F] microphone [C/E] smells like a [D7] beer [G] And they [C] sit at the [G/B] bar and put [F/A] bread in my [C/G] jar And say [F] Man, what are [G7sus4] you doin' [C] here?"
[Am] Laa la [Am/G] laa litty [D7/F#] daah,[Am/F-G] [Am] La laa [Am/G] litty daa [D7/F#] daah da dum [G][G/F][C/Ei][G/D]
[Chorus] [C] Sing us a [G/B] song, you're the [F/A] piano man [C/G] [F] Sing us a [C/E] song to - [D7] night [G] 'Cause we're [C] all in the [G/B] mood for a [F/A] melody [C/G] And [F] you've got us [G7sus4] feeling all - [C] right
[Notes] [Tab for piano figure at start of song] Use first finger to play B string then second for E as nail is longer - better articulation first 4 notes are 16th notes, then triplets for rest of phrase -------(fast--------slower---------------) E 1----------10h12--15-14-13-12- B 1----10h13--------------------16-15-14-13 G 2---------------------------------- D 0--(leave-ringing)--------------- sp = slight pause -------------------------------(sp)-- E 1---6h7h8-6h7h8-6h8----3h4h5--------3-- B 0---------------------------3---3h5--(let 3 ring) G 1----------------------------------- D 0-----------------------------------
[Tab for main Intro] E -3--5310--55--X---X--X---2--3------- B -5---300--65--1---1--1-311--3-5-6--- G -5---400--55--0---2--0---2--4------- D -5---500--77--2---3--2---0--5------- A -3---5xx--88--3---3--3------5------- E -----333-(55)-3---1--0------3------- Dr B S B S B S B S
E -3--53----55--X---1--1-0-- B -5---354--65--1---1--1-1-3 G -5---4----55--0---2--0--- D -5---5----77--2---3--0--- A -3---5----88--3---3--x--- E -----3---(55)-3---1--3--- Dr B S B S B S
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[Tab - Build up verse] E -0---1---3---1-1-1--- B -1---1---3---1-1-1--- G -0---2---4---2-2-2--- x 2 D -2---3---5---3-2-0--- A -3---3---3----------- E ---------------------
[Tab - Part of intro over harmonica] E -3--53----55--X----1--1-0-- B -5---354--65--1----1--1-1-3 G -5---4----55--0----2--0--- D -5---5----77--2----3--0--- A -3---5----88--3----3--x--- E -----3---(55)-3----1--3--- Dr B S B S B S