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 theyґd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper Iґd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldnґt take one more step
I canґt 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
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singinґ thisґll be the day that I die
Thisґll 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 youґre in love with him
ґcause I saw you dancinґ in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncinґ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singinґ
(Chorus)
Now, for ten years weґve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, thatґs 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 nd 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 singinґ
(Chorus)
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
Landed flat 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 sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
ґcause 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 singinґ
(Chorus)
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
ґcause fire is the devilґs 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 Satanґs 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 singinґ
(Chorus)
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 Iґd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldnґt 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 singing
(Chorus, 2x)
Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens