CHORUS
G Am
Now for ten years we've been on our own,
C Am Em D
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone but that's not how it used to be
G D Em
When the jester sang for the king and queen
Am7 C Em A7 D
Iin a coat he borrowed from James Dean in a voice that came from you and me
Em D Em D
And while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown
C G A7 C D7
The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned
G D Em Am C
And while Lenin read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park
G D Em C D7 G C G
And we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died, we were singin'
CHORUS
G Am
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
C Am Em D
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter, eight miles high and fallin' fast
G D Em
It landed foul on the grass
Am7 C Em A7 D
The players tried for a forward pass, with the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Em D Em D
Now at halftime there was sweet perfume, while sergeants played a marching tune
C G A7 C D7
We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance
G D Em Am C
'Cuz the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield
G D Em C D7 G C G
Do you recall what was the feel the day the music died, we started singin'
CHORUS
G Am
And there we were all in one place,
C Am Em D
A generation lost in space, with no time left to start again
G D Em Am7 C
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candle
Em A7 D
Stick, 'cuz fire is the devil's only friend
Em D Em D
And as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage
C G A7 C D7
No angel born in Hell could bread that Satan's spell
G D Em Am C
And as the flames climbed high into the night to light the sacrificial rite
G D Em C D7 G C G
I saw Satan laughing with delight the day the music died, he was singin'
CHORUS
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
I went down to the sacred store
Am C Em C D
Where I'd heard the music years before, but the man there said the music wouldn't play
Em Am Em Am
But in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed
C G Am C D
But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken
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 D7
They caught the last train for the coast the day the music died, and they were singin'
CHORUS
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