American Pie

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.

Simon "Starfruit"McClean was a born musician.
He had a strong affinity for music since he was born.
His parents would often brag that their son could play the piano and the guitar when he was only six years old, but it wasn't until he won first prize at his middle school talent show,that he realized his destiny.
He wanted to make people happy doing what he loved, he wanted to make people dance and sing and forget their troubles.

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step


Then one day, a horrible tragedy struck him like a bolt of lightning: His teacher, who was on his way home from a business trip overseas, had died in a terrible plane crash.
Simon had been taking lessons from that man for months, he was so nice and wonderful, and made his lessons fun.
While Simon was practicing his musical skills, he had also taken a job as a paperboy to earn extra money.
His teacher's house was always the last one he'd deliver to, then he would come inside for his lesson.
After the man's death, however, he was overwhelmed with sadness whenever he passed his house.

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

The last time he ever went by his teacher's house, was when he paid a visit to his widowed wife, who had grown sick with grief.
They both cried together, feeling as though the sweet music that the man took everywhere died with him.

So bye bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys where drinking whiskey and rye
Singing 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?

When Simon was fourteen, he spent a lot of time at church, where he would bring the hymns to be played but would never sing them, the priests would often reprimand him for refusing to sing, but he would always remain silent.
Sometimes he felt like he was losing faith in God with each passing day.

Now do you believe in rock 'n roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

One day, at his uncle's party, he met a nice, pretty young girl.
He was sitting in a chair, sipping soda and nibbling chips when she came over.
"Hey, what's the matter, Simon, you used to love dancing and singing.", she said
Surprised, Simon asked,"How do you know who I am?"
The girl giggled and answered,"We went to school together, don't you remember? I was your band partner, we kissed at our school play, and I was second place at the talent show?"
"Doesn't ring a bell."Simon shrugged.
The girl then stood up and said,"I'll tell you what, if you dance with me when the next song plays, I'll give you my number, sound good?"

Simon almost decided to decline, but something inside told him not to, something that however he tried, he couldn't ignore, so when the next song played, he found himself standing up, taking the girl's hand and dancing with her in the bright lights.

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!

Then, at that moment, Simon started to remember something that he pushed to the back of his mind long ago.
It was at school, when he had finally got up the nerve to ask his crush to the Soda Pop Sockhop, as the school called it, but she had already asked the basketball team captain.

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

His heartbreak was so great that in just twenty minutes, he ran out of the building and ran to his teacher's house, he knocked on the door, but no one answered, then he sat on the curb and sulked, feeling his happiness slowly die.

I started 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
This'll be the day that I die"

When the party was over, the girl had written her phone number on a handkerchief and given it to him.
When Simon asked the girl's name, she smiled and responded with"Call me Lychee."

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.

Lychee was what most people call a rebel, she and her friends would skip school, go drag racing, and of course, party.

When Simon was introduced to this wild gang, they made him sing and dance to Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" for them as an initiation, and he was so good, that they instantly put him on a high pedestal next to their leader.

Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned

While Simon was happy to have some good friends, he hated having to bear the burden of being a "bad kid"
Then, after the kids were caught skipping school, they were arrested and put in a jail cell.

And while Lennon read a book on March
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

While they were waiting to be bailed out, they began to sing, led by Simon, known by them as "Starfruit".

We 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
Singing 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

Then in Simon's sophomore years, he was sitting on the sidelines, his arm in a cast, watching his friends on the baseball team Goblins play against the ruthless Zephyrs

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a matching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

Simon had brought his radio and a CD of motivational tunes to encourage the team, and shortly after halftime had the marching band and cheerleaders perform, he tried to put the music on, but he was soon ordered to turn it off.

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?

The team wouldn't give in though, and the marching band performed The Beatles, and the result of the overflowing optimism was the Goblins' victory.

From then on, Simon "Starfruit" McClean was known as the Musical Muse of the Field

We started 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
Singing 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

Then finally, one fateful night, Simon and his friends were in the woods, celebrating their victory with a bonfire, there were s'mores, hot dogs, song,conversation, and drinks.

So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend

Then, one of the kids, Pitaya, who was too drunk to think clearly, poured a can of beer on the fire, which caused it to rise high enough to catch a low hanging branch, and it spread farther.

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

The kids screamed and ran and cried for help, but the fire caught up with them no matter where they went.
In the end, nothing could be done.

We 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
Singing 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
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, the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

Later, Simon wandered around his old town for years, wondering why no one noticed him anymore.
He walked to his old teacher's house, but no one and nothing was there, except a for sale sign on the lawn.

Then he stopped and noticed a memorial to a group of kids who died in a forest fire twenty years ago.
Recognizing those kids, he broke down and cried, his silent tears mingling with the loud ringing of church bells.

Then 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

Then, Simon felt a gentle, warm hand on his shoulder, he looked up and saw a shining young man whose pulled him to his feet and told him,"It's time to go."

"B-but I can't be dead! I still have so many things I wanted to do!! I-"

The man hushed him." There's nothing you can do now, it's time to go home."

The man then softly sang
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
This'll be the day that I die.

Then the voices of his teacher, his parents, his uncle, then his girlfriend Lychee and all her friends accompanied him, and soon everyone was 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 singing this'll be the day that I die."

Disclaimer:I do not claim ownership of the song, I could never ever write a song as great as this to save my life, this song, American Pie, belongs to Don McClean.