For the Love of Lyrics and Lexicons: Lyrics from "American Pie" by Don McLean

American singer songwriter Don McLean's 1971 number-one single "American Pie" held the record for longest number-one U.S. hit (8 minutes, 42 seconds) for almost 50 years. It was the 1959 plane crash — when early rock and roll legends Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens were killed — that created the song's phrase "the day the music died."

Written and performed by Don McLean.
25 words 557 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. remember
    recall knowledge; have a recollection
    A long, long time ago, I can still remember
    How that music used to make me smile
  2. widowed
    single because of death of one's spouse
    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
  3. levee
    an embankment built to prevent a river from overflowing
    So, bye, bye, Miss American Pie
    Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dry
  4. faith
    a strong belief in a divine power or powers
    Did you write the Book of Love?
    And do you have faith in God above
    If the Bible tells you so?
  5. mortal
    subject to death
    Do you believe in rock 'n' roll?
    Can music save your mortal soul?
  6. soul
    the immaterial part of a person
    Do you believe in rock 'n' roll?
    Can music save your mortal soul?
  7. buck
    mature male of certain mammals, especially deer or antelope
    I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
    With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
  8. jester
    a clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman
    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
  9. adjourn
    close at the end of a session
    Oh, and while the king was looking down
    The jester stole his thorny crown
    The courtroom was adjourned
    No verdict was returned
  10. verdict
    findings of a jury on issues submitted to it for decision
    Oh, and while the king was looking down
    The jester stole his thorny crown
    The courtroom was adjourned
    No verdict was returned
  11. quartet
    four performers or singers who perform together
    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
  12. dirge
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
    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
  13. helter-skelter
    haphazardly
    Helter Skelter in the summer swelter
    The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
    Eight miles high and fallin' fast
    It landed foul on the grass
  14. fallout
    radioactive particles that settle after a nuclear explosion
    Helter Skelter in the summer swelter
    The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
    Eight miles high and fallin' fast
    It landed foul on the grass
  15. shelter
    a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
    Helter Skelter in the summer swelter
    The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
    Eight miles high and fallin' fast
    It landed foul on the grass
  16. cast
    firm bandage that immobilizes broken bones while they heal
    The players tried for a forward pass
    With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
  17. yield
    move in order to make room for someone or something
    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
  18. recall
    bring to mind
    Do you recall what was revealed
    The day the music died?
  19. reveal
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    Do you recall what was revealed
    The day the music died?
  20. generation
    all the people living at the same time or of the same age
    Oh, and there we were, all in one place
    A generation lost in space
  21. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
  22. clench
    squeeze together tightly
    Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
    My hands were clenched in fists of rage
  23. sacred
    made, declared, or believed to be holy
    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
  24. dream
    have a daydream; indulge in a fantasy
    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
  25. admire
    look at with reverence
    And the three men I admire most
    The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
    They caught the last train for the coast
Created on Thu Oct 19 15:41:19 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Jan 02 12:00:58 EST 2024)

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