Don McLean Album

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

So
{Refrain}
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'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 '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 I was out of luck
The day the music died

I started singin'
{Refrain}

Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' 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 [Lenin?] read a book of Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

We were singing
{Refrain}

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The Byrds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul out 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 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
{Refrain}

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 sacrifical rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing
{Refrain}

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 woudn'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
{Refrain}

They were singing bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die

And if she asks you why
You can tell her that I told you that I'm tired
Of castles in the air, I've got a dream
I want the world to share, and castle walls
Just lead me to despair.

Hills of forest green
Where the mountains touch the sky, a dream come true
I'll live there till I die, I'm asking you
To say my last goodbye, the love we knew
Ain't worth another try.

Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I'm weak but I can't face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain
Perhaps she'll understand, if you tell it to her plain

But how can words express
The feel of sunlight in the morning in the hills,
Away from city strife, I need a
Country woman for my wife, I'm city born,
But I love the country life.

For I will not be part
Of her cocktail generation, partners waltz
Devoid of all romance the music playes
And everyone must dance, I'm bowling out
I need a second chance.

Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I'm weak but I can't face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain
Perhaps she'll understand, if you tell it to her plain

And if she asks you why
You can tell her that I told you that I'm tired
Of castles in the air, I've got a dream
I want the world to share and castle walls
Just lead me to despair.

I feel like a spinning top or a Dreidel
The spinning don't stop when you leave the cradle
You just slow down
Round and around the world you go
Spinning through the lives of the people you know
We all slow down
How you gonna keep on turning from day to day?
How you gonna keep from turning your life away?

No days you can borrow, no time you can buy.
No trust in tomorrow. It's a lie.
And I feel like I'm dippin' and divin'.
My sky shoes are spiked with lead heels.
I'm lost in this star car I'm drivin'.
But my air sole keeps pushin' big wheels.
My world is a constant confusion.
My mind is prepared to attack.
My past a persuasive illusion.
I'm watchin' the future it's black.
What do you know?
You know just what you perceive.
What can you show?
Nothing of what you believe.
And as you grow, each thread of life that you leave
Will spin around your deeds and dictate your needs
As you sell your soul and you sow your seeds
And you wound yourself and your loved one bleed
And your habits grow, and your conscience feeds
On all that you thought you should be
I never thought this could happen to me.

I feel like a spinning top or a dreidel.
The spinning don't stop when you leave the cradle.
You just slow down.
Round and around the world you go
Spinning through the lives of the people you know.
We all slow down.
How you gonna keep on turning from day to day?
How you gonna keep from turning your life away? Oh..

I feel like a spinning top or a dreidel.
The spinning don't stop when you leave the cradle.
You just slow down.

No one can take your place with me
And time has proven that I'm right
There's no place I'd rather be
Than at your place for the night

No time can pass your side on sea
No moment steals away unfound
Lifetime lived in such a dream
Floats like a feather to the ground

And for the first time I've been seeing
The things I'd never notice without you
And for the first time I'm discovering
The things I used to treasure about you

The birds like leaves on Winterwood
Sing hopeful songs on dismal days
They've learned to live life as they should
They are at peace with Nature's ways

You are as natural as the night
And all that springs from you is good
And the children born beneath your life
Are like the birds on Winterwood

And for the first time I've been seeing
The things I'd never notice without you
And for the first time I'm discovering
The things I used to treasure about you

Everyday
It's getting closer, going faster
than a rollercoaster
Love like your's
Will surely come my way
ahey ahey hey

Everyday
It's getting faster
Everyone said:
"go on and ask her,
love like your's wille surely come my way"
ahey ahey hey

Everyday
Seems a little longer
Everyway
Love's a little stronger
Come with me
Do you ever long for true love from me?

Everyday
It's getting closer, going faster
than a rollercoaster
Love like your's
Will surely come my way
ahey ahey hey

Love like your's
Will surely come my way

The spirit of Fatima still rules the Earth
She knows your future, she knows what it's worth
Sister Fatima has God-given powers
And on 42nd Street a shop that sells flowers
Is her palace, come and be healed

She knows all your business, your health and your ills
She'll counsel your weddings, divorces and wills
For full restoration five dollars an hour
And with each consultation a free holy flower
And if she likes you, well you can have two

And I came from nowhere like you and your friend
My searching and wandering went on without end
My future was dim, my spirit was crushed
In one sacred moment my questions were hushed

I'm a servant of fate in this garden of truth
A humble recruit of the taffeta booth
Where all things are known but few are revealed
Sins are forgotten and sickness is healed
For five dollars the flower is free

I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
Beams of blue come flickering through my windowpane
Like gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame

And I wonder if you know
That I never I understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did - I never thought you would

Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face
While chestnut hair fell all around the pillowcase
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
A sympathy bouquet left with the love that's dead

Never thought the words you said were true
Never thought you said just what you meant
Never knew how much I needed you
Never thought you'd leave - until you went

Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
And evening brings the memories I can't forget
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs

If I could say the things I feel, it wouldn't be the same
Some things are not spoken of, some things have no name
And though the words come hard to me, I'll say them just for you
For this is something rare for me this feeling is so new

You see I love the way you love me
Love the way you smile at me,
I love the way we live this life we're in

Long ago I heard the song that lovers sing to me
And through the days with each new phrase I hummed that melody
And all along I loved the song but I never learned it through
But since the day you came along, I've saved it just for you

You see I love the way you love me
Love the way you smile at me,
I love the way we live this life we're in

I don't believe in magic but I do believe in you
And when you say you believe in me
There's so much magic I can do

Now you see me now you don't watch me dive below
Deep down in your love lake where the sweet fish come and go
And I might sink and I might drown but death don't mean a thing
'Cause life continues right or wrong when I play this birthday song
I learned from you, and you can't even sing

Wonderful baby livin' on love
The sandman says maybe he'll take you above,
up where the girls fly on ribbons and bows,
where babies float by just
counting their toes.
Wonderful baby nothin' but new
The world has gone crazy, I'm glad I'm not you.
At the beginning or is it the end?
It goes in and comes out and starts over again.
Wonderful baby livin' on love
The sandman says maybe he'll take you above,
up where the girls fly on ribbons and bows,
where babies float by, just
counting their toes.
Wonderful baby I'll watch while you grow.
If I knew the future you'd be first to know.
But I don't know nothin' of what
life's about
Just as long as you live, you'll never find out.
Wonderful baby, nothin' to fear.
Love whom you will, but doubt what you hear.
They'll whisper sweet things to make untrue.
So be good to yourself, that's all
you can do.
Wonderful baby, livin' on love the sandman says maybe he'll
take you above,
up where the girls fly on ribbons and bows,
where babies float by, just counting their toes,
where babies float by, just counting their toes
Ooh.

If you wanna make me happy
Here's all you gotta do
Just take me where you're going
And I'll take care of you
'Cause I've got this need that's growin'
To keep you satisfied
And if you keep your green light showin'
Then you can take me for a ride

'Cause I la la la la la la love you
And I la la la la la la care
And I really want you with me baby, everywhere

Well I like the way you're movin'
And I like the way you go
Well I like the way you let your
Locomotion show
'Cause my drivin' wheel is drivin'
And my pistons are workin' good
And if your motor gives you some trouble, baby
I'll take a look underneath your hood

'Cause I la la la la la la love you
And I la la la la la la care
And I really want you with me baby, everywhere

Well, I know you like your transportation
With a motor and a rubber wheel
But when you move you cause a transformation
In this lover and the way I feel

So if you wanna make me happy
Here's all you gotta do
Just let me ride your box car
And I'll hobo with you
'Cause all I got is on my shoulders
I'm walkin' on my travellin' shoes
And before I get much older
I'm gonna kick these lovesick blues

And I la la la la la la love you
And I la la la la la la care
And I really want you with me baby, everywhere

Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and gray
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul...
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land.

Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen; they did not know how --
Perhaps they'll listen now.


Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.


Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen; they did not know how --
Perhaps they'll listen now.

For they could not love you
But still, your love was true
And when no hope was left inside
On that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do --
But I could've told you, Vincent:
This world was never meant
For one as beautiful as you.


Starry, Starry night
Portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The silver thorn, a bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.

Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen; they're not listening still --
Perhaps they never will...

I've got nothing on my mind, nothing to remember
Nothing to forget, I've got nothing to regret
But I'm all tied up on the inside
No one knows quite what I've got
And I know that on the outside, what I used to be, I'm not, anymore
You know I've heard about people like me
But I never made the connection
They walk one road to set them free
And find they've gone the wrong direction

But there's no need for turning back
All roads lead to where I stand
And I believe I'll walk them all
No matter what I might have planned

Can you remember who I was, can you still feel it
Can you find my pain, can you heal it
Then lay your hands upon me now, and cast this darkness from my soul
You alone can light my way, you alone can make me whole, once again
We've walked both sides of every street
Through all kinds of windy weather
But that was never our defeat
As long as we could walk together

But there's no need for turning back
All roads lead to where we stand
And I believe we'll walk them all
No matter what we may have planned

And I love you so
The people ask me how
How I've lived till now
I tell them I don't know

I guess they understand
How lonely life has been
But life began again
The day you took my hand

chorus:
And yes I know how lonely life can be
The shadows follow me
And the night won't set me free
But I don't let the evening get me down
Now that you're around me

And you love me too
Your thought are just for me
You set my spirit free
I'm happy that you do

The book of life is breif
And once a page is read
All but love is dead
That is my belief

chorus:
And yes I know how loveless life can be
The shadows follow me
And the night won't set me free
But I won't let the evening bring me down
Now that you're around me

And I love you so
The people ask me how
How I've lived till now
I tell them - I don't know

You took me up to heaven
Oh, when you took me in your arms
I was dazzled by your beauty
Blinded by your charms

I was lost in a fool's paradise
Good and lost in a fool's paradise

Well, when you told me that you loved me
And I gave my heart to you
Oh, well, I wondered
If there could be any truth in love so new

I was lost in a fool's paradise
Good and lost in a fool's paradise

The whole world was my kingdom
And your love, the gem in my crown
But when I saw you glance at a new romance
You know my love came tumbling down

Oh well, you treat me a kinda coolish
And you never let me know
That you think I'm being foolish
Because I love you so

I'll still get lost in a fool's paradise
Good and lost in a fool's paradise

Well, the whole world was my kingdom
And your love, the gem in my crown
But when I saw you glance at a new romance
You know my love came tumbling down

Oh, you know you treat me a kinda coolish
And you never let me know
Oh, that you think I'm being foolish
Because I love you so

I'll still get lost in a fool's paradise
Lost with you in a fool's paradise

Yes, I'll still get lost in a fool's paradise
So doggone lost in a fool's paradise

When I see you on the street, I lose my concentration. Just the thought that we
might meet creates anticipation.

Won't you look my way once before you go and my eyes will say what you ought to
know. Well I've been thinkin' about you day and night...and I don't know if
it'll work out right...but somehow I think that it just might...if we try.

Faces come and faces go in circular rotation. But something yearns within to
grow beyond infatuation.

Won't you look my way once before you go and my eyes will say what you ought to
know. Well you've got me standin' deaf and blind...cause I see love as just a
state of mind...and who knows what it is that we might find...if we try.

(Bridge)

You're walking a different direction from most people I've met. You're givin'
me signs of affection I don't usually get. I don't want you to pledge your
future the future's not yours to give. Just stand there a little longer and let
me watch while you live.

'Cause when I see you on the street, I lose my concentration. And just the
thought that we might meet creates anticipation.

Won't you look my way once before you go and my eyes will say what you ought to
know. Well I've been thinking about you day and night...and I don't know if it
will work out right...but somehow I think that it just might...if we try.
Somehow I think that it just might if we try. Yes somehow I think that it just
might if we try.

Note - Don would often change the last chorus when he performed the song live.
The words were something like "Won't you look my way once before you go and my
eyes will say what you ought to know. It'd be so nice to see it all work
out...cause that's what fantasies are all about..."

Oh, Mary, this London's a wonderful sight
With people here working by day and by night
They don't sow potatoes nor barley nor wheat
But there's gangs of them diggin' for gold in the street
At least when I asked them, that's what I was told
So I just took a hand at this diggin' for gold
But for all that I've found there, I might as well be
In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea

I believe that when writin' a wish you expressed
As to how the fine ladies of London were dressed
But if you'll believe me, when asked to a ball
They don't wear no tops to their dresses at all
Oh, I've seen them myself and you could not in truth
Tell if they were bound for a ball or a bath
Don't be startin' them fashions now, Mary Mochree,
In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea

There's beautiful girls here, oh, never you mind
Beautiful shapes Nature never designed
Lovely complexions of roses and cream
But let me remark with regard to the same
That if at those roses you venture to kiss
The colors might all come away on your lip
So I'll wait for the wild rose that's waitin' for me
In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea

You remember young Diddy McClaren, of course
But he's over here with the rest of the force
I saw him one day as he stood on the strand
Stopped all the traffic with a wave of his hand
As we were talking of days that are gone
The whole town of London stood there to look on
But for all his great powers, he's wishful like me
To be back where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea

The grave that they dug him had flowers
Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colors
And the brown earth bleached white at the edge of his gravestone
He's gone

When the wars of our nation did beckon
A man barely twenty did answer the call
Proud of the trust that he placed in our nation
He's gone
But eternity knows him
And he knows what we've done

And the rain fell like pearls on the leaves of the flowers
Leaving brown muddy clay where the earth had been dry
And deep in the trench, he waited for hours
As he held to his rifle and prayed not to die

But the silence of night was shattered by fire
As guns and grenades blasted sharp through the air
One after another, his comrades were slaughtered
In a morgue of marines, alone standing there

He crouched ever lower, ever lower with fear
"They can't let me die...they can't let me die here!
I'll cover myself with the mud and the earth
I'll cover myself! I know I'm not brave!
The earth...the earth...the earth is my grave..."

The grave that they dug him had flowers
Gathered from the hillsides in bright summer colors
And the brown earth bleached white at the edge of his gravestone
He's gone

Ah, it ain't so easy is it? You almost lost your place.
And perhaps you're wondering how you're going to cope with your disgrace.
Well your wealth is well established and your friends were never few,
And all the things they told you of you're finding to be true.
Well if truth can free the guilty while the innocent must die,
Then I respect, respect, respect the coldest lie.

And you talk of human justice while you drive on fancy wheels.
And you push them to their limit just to see how nice it feels.
Well it doesn't really matter if she's living or she's dead,
You just drive away forgetting that your bumper's dipped in red.
Well if that's the kind of justice that our hall of justice claims,
Then I respect, respect, respect old Jesse James.

And most cordially they caught you and they asked you to obey.
And they threw you into prison, just in case you could not pay.
Well King Arthur jousted Lancelot, who stole away his wife;
And your lawyers jousted with the court to save your precious life.
Well if living is what matters though you lie with every breath,
Then I respect, respect, the ones we put to death.

And you won your case most easily and soon you will be free.
But there will be a million more who lose their liberty.
Not because of what they did, but what they did not do:
They did not pay a lawyer or a judge to see them through.
Why, they had no friends to call on and they could not raise their bail.
Well if winning is what matters, I respect the ones who fail

Going for the Gold

I chased a lot of rainbows
Down a lot of roads
Thinking love was something to be bought or sold
But I finally found a treasure
And it's right here in your eyes
Now my golden dreams are of golden rings
Precious love without a price

(Chorus)
I'm going for the gold
For the heart's that's in you
I'm going for the love
That I know will be true
I've had enough
Of those one night stands
I'm going for the gold that's in a wedding band

I followed those illusions
That sparkled in the night
But they were fantasies that disappeared in the light
The midnight fires that burned so bright
Turn to ashes in the dawn
I didn't realize how empty I was inside
Until you came along

(Chorus x4)
(Fade out)

I was alright for a while
I could smile for a while
But when I saw you last night
You held my hand so tight
When you stopped to say 'hello'
And though you wished to me well
you couldn't tell

That I'd been
Crying over you
Crying over you
Then you said to so long
Left me standing all alone
Alone and crying.
Crying
Crying
Crying
It's hard to understand
That the touch of your hand
can start me crying

I thought that I was over you
But it's true, so true
I love you even more than I did before
But, darling, what can I do?
While you don't love me
And I'll always be

Crying over you
Crying over you
Yes, now you're gone
And from this moment on
I'll be crying
(crying)
Crying
(crying)
Crying
(crying)
Crying over you
Over you
Over you