G     D    Em7
A long, long time ago, 
Am            C                Em                   D
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
    G           D    Em7
And I know that if I had my chance,
     Am                 C                Em              C           D
That I could make those people dance and maybe they'd be happy for a while

[Instrumental]
(absolute, not relative to capo)
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B|----------16-------------|-------------------------|
G|-------15----15----------|-13-------------------15-| x4
D|-13-17----------17-13-17-|----17-13-15-13-17-13----|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|

[Verse 2]
G                 Am      
Did you write the book of love
       C                 Am         Em           D
And do you have faith in god above, if the bible tells you so?
G          D          Em
Now do you believe in rock and roll
           Am7*            C              Em                A7                D
Think that music save your mortal soul if you will teach me how to dance real slow?

[Verse 3]
       Em                  D                     Em              D
Well I know that you're in love with him  'cuz I saw you dancin' in the gym
    C           G        A7           C                    D7
You both kicked off your shoes, man I dig those rhythm and blues
        G      D       Em                   Am                   C
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck with a pink carnation and a pickup truck
    G      D     Em              C       D7    G  C  G
But I knew I was out of luck the day the music died, I started singin'

[Chorus]
G    C        G        D
bye, bye Miss American Pie
         G            C            G        D
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
         G        C                  G           D
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
        Em                          A7   Em                          D7
Singin' this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die

[Instrumental]
(relative to capo)
E|-------------------------|----------------------------|
B|-------------------------|----------------------------|
G|-------------------------|----------------------------| x2
D|-0--------0--------------|----------------------------|
A|-------------3--------3--|-2-h3p2p0-2--0--2--0--------|
E|-------------------------|----------------------------|

[Verse 4]
  G     D        Em
I met a girl who sang the blues
      Am                 C               Em                          D
And I asked her for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away
       G         D      Em
Then I went down to the sacred store
          (G)             (Am)  (G)             (C)                (Em)
          Am              C                     Em                 C
Where I'd heard the music years before, but the man there said the music
         D
wouldn't play

[Verse 5]
         Em                 Am                     Em                 Am
Well now in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cry and the poets dream
    C     G        Am          C                     D
But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken
                                     G
        G         D   Em             Am7     C            D7
And the three men I admire most, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
G               D          Em                Am7     D7    G
They caught the last train for the coast the day the music died,
D7
We started singin'

(Chorus x2)
D7
We started singin'
D7
We started singin'
D7
We started singin'
D7
We started singin'