[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]
Standard fingering with R/H so can play descending Bsus2 arp fluently E 1--1--1-0h1p0--1- B -----1-------1--- G --2-2---------2-- D ----------------- A --------0-------- E 1---------------- DRB-S-B-S-B---S-B-S-B
E --------------------- B ----6-3-----6-3------ G --3----5p3-3---5p35-- D --------------------- A --------------------- E -3-3------3----------
E --3-1p0----3--1p0-------1-------1------ B -1-----3p1-------1-11h3--3p1------3p1-1 G ------------------0----3----3--3-----3- D -----------------------------3--------- A 0---------3--3------1---------1-------- E --------------------------------------- When descending the notes of the Bsus2 do the pulloff with the little finger and then move that to 3rd fret of D string - to fret - nice rolling sustained figure [Repeat above once]
[Verse1] They say that [F] these are not the [Fmaj7/A] best of times But [Gm7] they're the only [Bbsus2] times I've ever [F] known [Fmaj7/A][Gm7][Bbsus2] And I [F] believe there is a [Fmaj7/A] time for medi [Gm7] tation In [Bbsus2] cathedrals of our [C] own ([C][G]) [C][A7] Now I've [Dm] seen that sad sur [C] render in my [Bbsus2] lover's eyes [Bbsus2/A] And [G7sus4] I can only [G7] stand upon and [Cadd9] sympathize [C] For we are [Bb] always what our [F] situations [Gm7] hand us It's either [C] sadness or [Bbsus2] euphoria - [Eb][Bbsus2] (drums in)
[Verse2] So we'll [F] argue and we'll [Fmaj7/A] compromise And [Gm7] realize that [Bbsus2] nothing's ever [F] changed [Fmaj7/A][Gm7][Bbsus2] ..For all our [F] mutual [Fmaj7/A] experience Our [Gm7] separate con [Bbsus2] clusions are the [C] same ([C][G]) [C][A7] .. Now we are [Dm] forced to recog [C] nize our inhu [Bbsus2] manity [Bbsus2/A] .. Our [G7sus4] reason co [G7] exists with our in [Cadd9] sanity [C] .. And though we [Bb] choose between re [F] ality and [Gm7] madness .. It's either [C] sadness or [Bbsus2] euphoria [Eb][Bbsus2]
[Verse3] How [Dm] thoughtlessly we [C] dissipate our [Bbsus2] energies [Bbsus2/A] Per [G7sus4] haps we don't ful [G7] fill each other's [Cadd9] fantasies [C] .. And as we [Bb] stand upon the [F] ledges of our [Gm7] lives With our [C] respective simi [Bbsus2] larities [Eb][Bbsus2] It's either [C] sadness or [F] euphoria.
[Outro] [F][Fmaj7/A][Gm7][Bbsus2] [F] Wo [Fmaj7/A] oo woh oo [Gm7] oh oo [Bbsus2] woh oh oo [F] oh [Fmaj7/A] ooh [Gm7] wo ooh [Bbsus2] woh oh oo (slows done to end) [Am7] woh oh [C] oh [Bbsus2] oh [C - (C C Cadd9 C Cadd6)] [F]
[Notes] Final chord C C C9 C C6 (x3x210 - move 2nd finger up to G string when playing normal C)
