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 levee but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this will be the day that I die
Singing this will 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 '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 dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes then dig those rhythm and 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

I started singing bye, bye, ...

Now for ten years we've been on our own, 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 in a voice that came from you and me
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 on Marx the quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died

We were singing bye, bye, ...

Helter skelter in the summer swelter, the birds flew off
with a fallout shelter eight miles high and falling fast
It land 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 were singing bye, bye, ...

And there we were all in one place
a generation lost in space with no time left to start again
So come one Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat
on a candle stick, 'cause fire is the devils 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 Satin's spell
And as the flames climbed high
into the night to light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satin laughing with delight the day the music died

He was singing bye, bye, ...

I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some
happy news, 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

We were singing bye, bye, ...

We were singing bye, bye, ...