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Song: American pie
Artist: Don Mclean
Composer: Don Mclean
Album: American pie
Tabbed by DJ 10th Sept 2019
Live performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgScpzXzupA
PLEASE NOTE: The live video clearly shows Don
playing the passing G/F# chord,(which I often see
as a D/F# in other tabs and even in sheet music.)
The C/B is a passing bass note only, so not
intended to be played as a full chord.
I would recommend using the voicings in the text
column numbers below.
Regarding the CHORD BOX DIAGRAMS please follow the
information at the bottom of the tab.
G = 320003 D7 = xx0212 Em/B = x22000
G/F# = 2x0003 D7sus4 = xx0213 Em/D = xx0000
Em = 022000 D7sus2 = xx0210 Dsus4 = xx0233
Am = x02210 C/G = 3x2013 A = x02220
C = x32010 A7 = x02020 Asus4 = x02230
Em = 022000 C/B = x2x010 Asus2 = x02200
D = xx0232 G/B = x20003 A7sus2 = x02000
Please take a second to scroll down to the bottom of
the page and select a star rating for my tab, thanks
=====================================================
[Verse 1]
G G/F# Em
A long, long time ago,
Am C
I can still re - member how that music...
Em D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
...Used to make me smile,
G G/F# Em
And I knew if I had my chance,
Am C
That I could make those people dance,
Em C
And, maybe ...they'd be happy...
D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
...For a while
[Pre-Chorus]
Em Am
But February made me shiver,
Em Am
With every paper I'd deliver,
C G Am
Bad news on the doorstep,
C D
I couldn't take one more step,
G G/F# Em
I can't re - member if I cried...
Am D
When I read about his widowed bride,
G G/F# Em
But something touched me deep inside,
C D7 G C/GG
N.C.
The day ...the music ...died...
[Chorus]
G C G D
So bye, bye Miss A - merican Pie,
G C
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G D
But the levee was dry,
G C G D
And them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Em A7
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die,
Em D7
This'll be the day that I die!"
D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
[Verse 2]
G Am
Did you write the Book of Love,
C C/B Am
And do you have faith in God above,
Em D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D D7sus2
...If the Bible tells you so?
D7 G G/F# Em
Now, do you be - lieve in rock and roll?
Em/B Am C
Can music save your mortal soul,
Em
And ...can you teach me...
A7 D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D D7sus2
...How to dance real slow---------?
[Pre-Chorus]
D7 Em D7
Well, I know that you're in love with him,
Em D7
'Cause I ...saw you dancing in the gym,
C C/B A
You both kicked off your shoes,
A7 C D7 D7sus4
...Man, I dig those rhythm and blue----oos,
D7 G G/F# Em
I was a lonely teenage broncing buck,
Em/B Am C
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
G G/F# Em
But I knew I was out of luck,
Em/D C D7 G C/G G D Dsus4
The day the music died, I started sing- ing...
[Chorus]
G C G D
So bye, bye Miss A - merican Pie,
G C
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G D
But the levee was dry,
G C G D
And them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Em A7
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die,
Em D7
This'll be the day that I die!"
D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
[Verse 3]
D7 G Am
Now, for ten years we've been on our own,
C C/B Am
And moss grows fat on a ...rolling stone,
Em D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2
But ...that's not how it used to be,
D7 G G/F# Em
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
Em/B Am C
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean,
Em A7
In a voice that came from you...
D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2
And me-------------!
[Pre-Chorus]
D7 Em D7
Oh, and ...while the king was looking down,
Em D7
The jester stole his ...thorny crown,
C C/B A A7
The courtroom was ad - journed,
C D7 D7sus4
No verdict was re - turned,
D7 G G/F# Em
And while Lennon read a book on Marx,
Em/B Am C
The quartet practiced in the park,
C/B G G/F# Em Em/B
And we sang dirges ...in the dark,
C D7 G C/G G D7
The day the music died, we were singing...
[Chorus]
G C G D
So bye, bye Miss A - merican Pie,
G C G D
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry,
G C G D
And them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Em A7
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die,
Em D7
This'll be the day that I die!"
D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
[Verse 4]
G Am
Helter-skelter in a summer swelter,
C C/B Am
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Em
...Eight miles high,
D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
And falling fast----------,
G G/F# Em
It landed foul on the grass,
Am C
The players tried for a forward pass,
C/B Em A
With the jester ...on the sidelines...
A7 D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2
...In a cast---------!
[Pre -Chorus]
D Em D7
Now, the half-time air was ...sweet perfume,
Em D7
While ...the sergeants played a marching tune,
C C/B A
We all got up to dance,
A7 C D7 D7sus4
Oh, but we ...never got the chance,
D7 G G/F# Em
'Cause the players tried to take the field,
Em/D Am C
The marching band re - fused to yield,
G G/F# Em
Do you re - call what was revealed...
Em/D C D7 G C/G G D7
The day the music died, we started singing...
[Chorus]
G C G D
So bye, bye Miss A - merican Pie,
G C
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G D
But the levee was dry,
G C G D
And them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Em A7
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die,
Em D7
This'll be the day that I die!"
D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
[Verse 5]
D7 G Am
Oh, and ...there we were, all in one place,
C C/B Am
A ...gene - ration lost in space,
Em D7
With no time left to start again,
D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2
D7 G G/F# Em
So, come on, Jack be nimble, ...Jack be quick,
Am C
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick,
C/B Em A
'Cause ...fire ...is The Devil's...
A7 D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2
...Only friend-----------,
D7 Em D7
Oh, and ...as I watched him on the stage,
Em D7
My hands were clenched in fists of rage,
C C/B A A7
No angel born in hell...
C D7
Could break that Satan's spell,
D7sus4 D7 G G/F# Em
And as the flames climbed high in - to the night,
Am C
To light the sacri - ficial rite,
C/B G G/F# Em
I saw ...Satan laughing with delight,
Em/D C D7 G C/G G D7
The day the music died, he was singing...
[Chorus]
G C G D
So bye, bye Miss A - merican Pie,
G C
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
G D
But the levee was dry,
G C G D
And them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Em A7
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die,
Em D7
This'll be the day that I die!"
D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
[Verse 6]
G G/F# Em
I met a girl who sang the blues,
Am C
And I asked her for some ...happy news,
Em
...But she just smiled,
D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
And turned away,
G G/F# Em
I went down to the sacred store,
Em/B Am C
Where I'd heard the music years before,
C/B Em C
But, the man there, said the music...
D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7
...Wouldn't play-----------,
Em Am Asus4 Am
And in the streets the children screamed,
Em Am Asus2 Am
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed,
C C/B Am G/B
But not a word was spoken,
C D7 D7sus2 D7
The church bells all were broken,
G G/F# Em
And the three men I ad - mire most,
G/B C C/B D7
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost,
G G/F# Em Em/D
They caught the last train for the coast,
C D7 G
N.C.
The day ...the music ...died and they were singing...
[Chorus]
G C G D
Bye, bye Miss A - merican Pie,
G C G D
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry,
G C G D
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
Em A7 A7sus2 A7
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die,
Em D7 D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7
This'll be the day that I die!"
D7sus2 D7
They were sing - ing...
[Coda]
G C G D
Bye, bye Miss A - merican Pie,
Dsus4 G C G D Dsus4
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry,
G C G D
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
C D7 G C/G G
Singing, "This'll be the day that I die-------!"
=====================================================
For the GUITAR chord box diagrams to better match my
suggested choices you need to manually select the
following choice of options by clicking on the
forward/backward arrows below four of the diagrams.
G/F# C/G C/B Asus4
<12 of 16> <12 of 18> <12 of 15> <2 of 21>
All the other chord boxes can be the default
first option and don't need any reselecting.
As long as you are logged into your account,
these choices will be saved automatically for every
time you view this tab
American Pie chords and lyrics
Free chords for American Pie by Don McLean. Scroll the interactive sheet above or read the chord names inline below.
Song: American pie Artist: Don Mclean Composer: Don Mclean Album: American pie Tabbed by DJ 10th Sept 2019 Live performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgScpzXzupA PLEASE NOTE: The live video clearly shows Don playing the passing G/F# chord,(which I often see as a D/F# in other tabs and even in sheet music.) The C/B is a passing bass note only, so not intended to be played as a full chord. I would recommend using the voicings in the text column numbers below. Regarding the CHORD BOX DIAGRAMS please follow the information at the bottom of the tab. G = 320003 D7 = xx0212 Em/B = x22000 G/F# = 2x0003 D7sus4 = xx0213 Em/D = xx0000 Em = 022000 D7sus2 = xx0210 Dsus4 = xx0233 Am = x02210 C/G = 3x2013 A = x02220 C = x32010 A7 = x02020 Asus4 = x02230 Em = 022000 C/B = x2x010 Asus2 = x02200 D = xx0232 G/B = x20003 A7sus2 = x02000 Please take a second to scroll down to the bottom of the page and select a star rating for my tab, thanks ===================================================== [Verse 1] [Pre-Chorus] [Chorus] D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7 [Verse 2] [Pre-Chorus] [Chorus] D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7 [Verse 3] [Pre-Chorus] [Chorus] D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7 [Verse 4] [Pre -Chorus] [Chorus] D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7 [Verse 5] D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 [Chorus] D7sus2 D7 D7sus4 D7 D7sus2 D7 [Verse 6] [Chorus]
American Pie Chords by Don McLean
Learn how to play American Pie by Don McLean with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “American Pie chords”, “American Pie guitar chords”, or “Don McLean American Pie chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy American Pie chords and for experienced players who want accurate American Pie lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G/F, D/F, C/B, G, D7, Em/B.
Frequently asked questions about American Pie
How do I play "American Pie" by Don McLean on guitar?
Open the free chords for "American Pie" by Don McLean on Free Chord Book. Tap any chord to see its diagram, use transpose to change the key, and turn on auto-scroll to play hands-free.
Are the chords for "American Pie" by Don McLean free?
Yes. The chords for "American Pie" by Don McLean are 100% free on Free Chord Book — no sign-up required.
Can I transpose "American Pie" to a different key?
Yes. Use the transpose buttons on the song page to shift "American Pie" up or down by half-steps so it matches your vocal range or capo position.
Can I see chord diagrams for "American Pie"?
Yes. Tap any chord in "American Pie" to instantly see an interactive guitar chord diagram with alternate fingerings.
Is "American Pie" easy to play on guitar?
Many players learn "American Pie" by Don McLean with our free chords. Use transpose and chord diagrams to simplify tricky shapes, and browse related songs by Don McLean below.
What key is "American Pie" in?
The chords for "American Pie" show the original chord names (including G/F, D/F, C/B, G, D7, Em/B). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.