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The Best of Don McLean

1. American Pie

   Lyrics: American Pie

   A long, long time ago, 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 they'd be happy for a while
   
   But February made me shiver
   With every paper I'd deliver
   Bad news on the doorstep
   I couldn't take one more step
   I can't remember if I cried
   When I read about his widowed bride
   But something touched me deep inside
   The day the music died
   
   So, bye, bye, Miss American Pie
   Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry
   And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
   Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
   This'll 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?
   Do you believe in rock 'n' roll?
   Can music save your mortal soul?
   And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
   
   Well, I know that you're in love with him
   'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
   You both kicked off your shoes
   Then I dig those rhythm and blues
   I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
   With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
   But I knew I was out of luck
   The day the music died
   
   I started singin', "Bye-bye, Miss American Pie"
   Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry
   Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
   Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
   This'll be the day that I die"
   
   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 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 singin', "Bye-bye Miss American Pie"
   Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry
   Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
   Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
   This'll be the day that I die"
   
   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, the half-time air was sweet perfume
   While the sergeants played a marching tune
   We all got up to dance
   Oh, 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', "Bye-bye, Miss American Pie"
   Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry
   Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
   And singin', "This'll be the day that I die
   This'll be the day that I die"
   
   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
   'Cause fire is the devil's only friend
   
   Oh, 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', "Bye-bye, Miss American Pie"
   Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry
   Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
   And singin', "This'll be the day that I die
   This'll be the day that I die"
   
   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 I'd 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 Holy Ghost
   They caught the last train for the coast
   The day the music died
   
   And they were singin', "Bye-bye, Miss American Pie"
   Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry
   And Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
   Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
   This'll be the day that I die"
   
   They were singin', "Bye-bye, Miss American Pie"
   Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry
   Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye
   Singin', "This'll be the day that I die"