Don Mclean - American Pie Chords & Tabs

American Pie

Don McLean
"American Pie"


    Performance Notes:
  Acoustic guitar, with open position chords.

  Chords
G   320033
D   xx0232
Em7 022030
Am  x02210
C   x32010
Em  022000
D7  xx0212
Am7 x02010 or x02213
A7  x02020 or x02223


    Prologue  (Strum Freely / Slowly  usu. only the once per chord) 
   G      D    Em7       Am               C
A | long, long time ago | I can ...

 Em                      D                G         D      Em7     (G)
| music used to make me smile |      And | I ...
 
 Am       (G)        C                 Em               C
| I could make those people dance and | ...

 D         Em             Am             Em                    Am  
| while   | But February made me shiver ...|

 C        G      Am           C                  D
| Bad news on the doorstep I | ...

                                    (C)             (D7)
 G        D            Em   (G)     Am7             D
| can't remember if I cried when I | ...

                                                
 G            D        Em                C  (Am7) D7      G    C    G  (D7)
| something touched me deep in-...|        |
                                                           Del Segna al Coda
                    (Play from Segna till it says to go to the Coda)
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/d/don_mclean/american_pie_crd_ver_6.html ]
    Chorus ( in a slightly faster tempo )
   (SEGNA)
   
   |*G    C            G           D                G        C
So |* bye-bye, Miss A_|_merican Pie ...

 G           D         G           C                G             D  TO CODA
| levee was dry. Them |good ole boys were ...

  Em                         A7       Em                          D7
| this'll be the day that I | die    | This'll ...|  


    Verses 1,2,3,4.

|G   |Am  |C    |Am   |Em    |D    |  %  |G  D  |Em   |Am7   |C   |Em    |     

|A7  |D   |  %  |Em   |D     |Em   |D    |C  G  |A7   |C     |D7  |G  D  | 
                                                 _______
                                                | 1.2.3.
                                                       *|
|Em  |Am  |C    |G  D |Em    |C    |D7   |G  C  |G  D7 *|       
 ______
| 4.

|G       D       |D   C   |G   D   |G   C   |G   D   |G   C   |G   D   |
| He was singing | etc.

|Em     |A7     |Em     |D7     |       

    For the 5th verse, play the prologue, adding the chords in (x) in and
substituting a chord for a previousey written one when you see   (C)
                                                                 Am7
(Ie: play a C instaid of, not as well as, the Am7)

Also remember to go back to the slow strumming for the 5th verse.

    Coda

 C                  D7           G    C     G
| This'll be the day that ...|
.