American Pie lyrics

 “American Pie” lyrics 

“America Pie” is a song, performed by Don McLean who is an American singer and songwriter and best known for his hit song “America Pie”. The song was written by Don McLean and produced by Ed Freeman. The song was recorded on 26 May 1971 and was released on 24 October 1971 as a single from Don McLean’s second studio album American Pie” through United Artists Records.   

The theme of the song is nostalgic.  In 1959, Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens were going to a show in Moorhead, Minnesota by airplane but after takeoff, the plane crashed and the three were died. Then Don McLean was 13 years old and was upset for the news. Later when he wrote the song “America Pie”, in a repeated phrase “the day the music died”, refers to the plane crash and he dedicated the American Pie album to Buddy Holly. 

The song “America Pie” debuted at number 69 on the Billboard charts but after eight weeks the song reached number one on the chart for four weeks. The song also reached at the top position in the several countries include Canada, Australia, New Zealand and reached at the second position in UK. 

In 2017, the Library of Congress selected the Don McLean's original recording of the song “America Pie” to preserve in the National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant". 

Singer: Don McLean 

Album: “American Pie” 

Songwriter(s): Don McLean  

Recorded: May 26, 1971 

Released: October 24, 1971 

Genre: Folk rock 

Producer(s): Ed Freeman for The Rainbow Collection, Ltd. 

Label: United Artists 

 “American Pie” lyrics 

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 
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 ole boys  

Were drinking  

whiskey and 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 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 
'Cause I saw you  

Dancin' in the gym 
You both kicked off  

Your shoes 
Man, 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 
And them good ole boys  

Were drinking  

Whiskey and 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 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 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 ole boys  

Were drinking  

Whiskey and rye 
And singin'  

This'll be the day  

that I die 
This'll be the day  

That I die 
 
Helter skelter  

In a summer swelter 
The birds flew off  

With a fallout shelter 
Eight miles high  

and falling 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 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 ole boys  

Were drinking  

Whiskey and 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 ole boys  

Were drinking  

Whiskey and rye 
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 singing 
 
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 
Singin' this'll be  

The day that I die 
This'll be the day  

That I die 

 
They were singing 
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 
Singin' this'll be the day  

that I die 

 
 

Some days I'm lonely 
And some days I'm not 
Some days I am only 
A little bit sad, not a lot 

How do you 
How do you  

Make a home? 
What to do 
'Cause I never  

Stay too long 

Every house  

Looks the same 
In my dreams 
Every house  

Feels like home 
For a couple weeks 
I been runnin' 'round 
Try'na find a place  

Where I can breathe 

 
But me oh my 
I found you 
Under an april sky 
And you feel like 
City life,  

Apple pie baked  

Just right 
Home is wherever  

You are tonight 

Some days  

I feel empty 
Some days feel home 
Some day we can be 

In the same city 
Someday we'll be grown  

And i'll be fine 
With packing up,  

Cardboard boxes filled  

And sad farewells 
And I'll be fine  

We'll pack a bag 
As long as I say  

Goodbye to you as well 

 

'Cause every house  

Looks the same 
In my dreams 
Every house  

Feels like home 
For a couple weeks 
I been runnin' 'round 
Try'na find a place  

Where I can breathe 
But me oh my 
I found you 
Under an april sky 
And you feel like 
City life,  

Apple pie baked just right 
Home is wherever  

You are tonight 

 

Let's rent a place 
Two rooms with  

Windows facing 
Buildings and fire escapes 
Might be no AC 
A little bit cramped 
But see I'm with you,  

it's okay 

 

Me oh my 
I found you  

Under an April sky 
And you feel like 
City life,  

Apple pie baked just right 
Home is wherever  

You are tonight 

“Apple Pie”(American Pie) Lyrics by Lizzy McAlpine 

Some days I'm lonely 
And some days I'm not 
Some days I am only 
A little bit sad, not a lot 

How do you 
How do you make a home? 
What to do 
'Cause I never stay too long 

Every house looks the same 
In my dreams 
Every house feels like home 
For a couple weeks 
I been runnin' 'round 
Try'na find a place  

Where I can breathe 

 
But me oh my 
I found you 
Under an april sky 
And you feel like 
City life,  

Apple pie baked just right 
Home is wherever  

You are tonight 

 

Some days I feel empty 
Some days feel home 
Some day we can be 

In the same city 
Some day we'll be grown  

And i'll be fine 
With packing up,  

Cardboard boxes filled  

And sad farewells 
And I'll be fine  

We'll pack a bag 
As long as I say  

Goodbye to you as well 

 

'Cause every house  

Looks the same 
In my dreams 
Every house feels like home 
For a couple weeks 
I been runnin' 'round 
Try'na find a place  

Where I can breathe 
But me oh my 
I found you 
Under an april sky 
And you feel like 
City life,  

Apple pie baked just right 
Home is wherever  

You are tonight 

 

Let's rent a place 
Two rooms with  

Windows facing 
Buildings and fire escapes 
Might be no AC 
A little bit cramped 
But see I'm with you,  

it's okay 

 

Me oh my 
I found you  

Under an April sky 
And you feel like 
City life,  

Apple pie baked just right 
Home is wherever  

You are tonight