American Pie

Lyrics

American Pie by Don McLean

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

Chorus
So bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the 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,
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 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 that I was out of luck
The day the music died

I started singing...

Chorus

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 singing...

Chorus

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 halftime 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 started singing...

Chorus

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 singing...

Chorus

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
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this will be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die

They were singin'
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die.

Significance

It is the last song played during all CTY dances, which places it on the list of High Holy Canon for nearly every site. This also includes Baby CTY, which does not always observe the same traditions as regular CTY, as well as CAA. The tradition has more recently spread to TIP (a somewhat CTY-like program run by Duke University) and the Summer Institute for the Gifted (a vaguely CTY-like program).

Each site has different traditions/dances that go along with the song:

Saratoga Springs

• The first verse and last verse are sung in a giant circle.
• After the line "This will be the day that I die" everybody chants "Die, die, die, die. Live, live, live, live. Sex, sex, sex, sex. More, more, more, more."
• During the line "You both kicked off your shoes" everyone kicks off their shoes.
• Screaming after the line "And in the streets, the children screamed."
• After the line "The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost," everyone yells "Jon Good!"

Carlisle

• The whole camp linking arms in a giant circle and swaying and kicking alternate feet during the first and last verses.(People leaving CTY stay in smaller circles in the center. After the dance, those in the center chant where and when "Passionfruit" will be)
• Clapping hands once and then twice on the offbeats of the pre-choruses.
• Waving hands in the air during the chorus.
• Shaking fists and yelling at the line "[My hands were clenched in] fists of rage."
• ^^The same applies for "refused to yield" and "lost in space".
• "sweet perfume" is said, well, sweetly.
• "falling fast" - the fast has an elongated a, with a crescendo.
• Screaming after the line "And in the streets, the children screamed."
• After the line "This will be the day that I die" every chants "Die, die, die, die. Live, live, live, live. Sex, sex, sex, sex. More, more, more, more." (This is called "callbacks"(for obvious reasons)). (Yelling "Orgy!" is strictly forbidden since 2006, where many past-Lancaster students yelled it)
• After the line "They caught the last train for the coast" people yell "East Coast"

Siena

• The whole camp linking arms in a giant circle and swaying and kicking alternate feet during the first and last verses. ("Brett says right foot!" <- The Dean of Residential Life decides the great existential quandry of our time: left or right foot first?)
• Clapping hands once and then twice on the offbeats of the pre-choruses.
• Waving hands in the air during the chorus.
• Shaking fists and yelling at the line "[My hands were clenched in] fists of rage."
• Screaming after the line "And in the streets, the children screamed."
• Not chanting after "This will be the day that I die."
• Linking arms at the beginning of the song, then slow-dancing, then coming together mosh-style in the middle of the dance floor yelling and singing, and then quickly going back to the linked arms. This is repeated several times.
• After the "The church bells all were broken" say a broken "Ding-dong!"

Lancaster

• Clapping hands once and then twice on the offbeats of the pre-choruses.
• The whole camp linking arms in a giant circle and swaying and kicking alternate feet during the first and last verses. ("Right foot first!") (For the other verses, everyone runs into the center jumping up and down.)
• Waving hands in the air during the chorus.
• After the line "This will be the day that I die" everyone chants "Die, die, die, die. Live, live, live, live. Sex, sex, sex, sex. More, more, more, more." while shaking fists. (RAs chant "No" instead of "More," and a recent tradition created is to shout "Orgy!" after the final "more," though some dislike this.)
• Small circles are formed in which groups act out certain parts in the song (there are usually two circles, one composed of TAs and RAs and the other of the Alcove.)
• When singing "And can you teach me how to dance real slow?" two people dance slowly
• When singing "You both kicked off your shoes," pretend to kick off your shoes by kicking at air.
• When singing the part about the Jester, a person act out the part of the Jester, while two other people act the part of King and Queen (and wears any kind of hat as a sub for real crown). Similarly, when singing about Jack Flash, act out the part.
• When singing about the devil and the fire, a person wearing red for the fire and a person designated to be Satan act in an amiable manner. The fire is later carried piggyback when "the flames climb high into the night," and directly following, their partner acts out "Satan laughing with delight". Said laughter may be a touch maniacal.
• After singing "And while Lennon read a book on Marx," yell 'Which One?'
• When singing "The birds flew off with a fallout shelter/Eight miles high and falling fast", use your hands to imitate a bird flying.
• When singing "refused to yield" yell that line.
• During the "fists of rage" part, the line is shouted and fists are shaken.
• After the "sacred store" line, everyone yells "Turkey Hill!"
• After "three men I admired most," someone shouts "Crosby, Stills, and Nash", or alternatively, "Moe Larry & Curly"
• After "...they caught the last train for the coast," everyone shouts "LA sucks!" and then "So does New Jersey"
• After the "And in the streets the children screamed" everyone scream.
• After the "The church bells all were broken" say 'Clang!'
• After the "This'll be the day that I die" at the very end, RAs shout "Go home! Nobody loves you!" Students respond, "We love you!"

Los Angeles

• Everyone linking hands and kicking alternate feet during first and last verses
• Massive charge towards the center at the end of the first verse.
• Tiny circle (of nevermores?) in the center, of swaying people with linked arms.
• The phrase "Fists of Rage" is shouted, with fists being raised in the air.
• At the end of the song, the RAs shout "Go Home! Nobody Loves You!" Student responses are varied.
• Clapping hands once and then twice on the offbeats of the pre-choruses.
• After the line "This will be the day that I die" every chants "Die, die, die, die. Live, live, live, live. Sex, sex, sex, sex. More, more, more, more."

Baltimore

• Everyone linking hands and kicking alternate feet during first and second-last verses
• Massive charge towards the center at the end of the first and second-last verses
• After the line "This will be the day that I die" every chants "Die, die, die, die. Live, live, live, live. Sex, sex, sex, sex. More, more, more, more."
• Clapping hands once and then twice on the offbeats of the pre-choruses.

Hawaii

• Hold hands in circle and kick alternate feet in first and last verses, and first chorus
• Run towards center at end of first chorus
• Sing loudly when in center
• Scream "fists of rage"
• Scream after "... the children screamed"
• Alternate single and double clap in prechorus (the day the music died)
• Jump up and down during chorus, after "we started singing..."
• After the line "This will be the day that I die" every chants "Die, die, die, live, live, live, sex, sex, sex, more, more, more."

Outside Links

• The Annotated "American Pie" - explains the song and all its references
• Wikipedia's article on "American Pie"