BYE, BYE, MISS AMERICAN PIE
Author(s): Jeremy
Songbook: Unpubbed Other
KeyWords: Death and Heaven,

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 awhile

But February made me shiver,
With every paper I'd deliver,
Bad news on the door step,
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...

Chorus:
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
I drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing, "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,
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 you're in love with him,
Because I saw you dancing in the gym,
You both kicked off your shoes
And I dig those rhythm blues,
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck,
With a pink carnation and a pick-up truck,
But I knew I was out of luck,
The day the music died

Chorus:
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
I drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing, "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 rolling 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 Lenin read a book on Marx,
The quartet kept practice in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark,
The day the music died, we were singing...

Chorus:
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
I drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing, "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 for the fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast
And land and fowl on the grass,
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast,
Now the halftime 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 singing..

Chorus:
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
I drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing, "this'll be the day that I die"
"This'll be the day that I die"

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,
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 planes climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw Satan laughing with delight,
The day the music died, he was singing...

Chorus:
Bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
I drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing, "this'll be the day that I die"
"This'll be the day that I die"

And 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 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 Holy Ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast,
The day the music died

Chorus [slow]:
They were singing, bye, bye, Miss American Pie,
I drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry,
Them good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing, "this'll be the day that I die"
"This'll be the day that I die"

[Repeat Chorus with Faster Tempo]

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family