Posted on 10/29/2008 9:31:21 AM PDT by Pfesser
...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 of marx, The quartet practiced in the park, And we sang dirges in the dark The day the music died.
...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, "bye-bye, miss american pie." Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye And singin', "this'll be the day that I die. "this'll be the day that I die."
(Excerpt) Read more at lyrics007.com ...
Well, hopefully we won’t be humming it a week from today.
Damn professor ... I wish I was home drinkin’ with ya.
So do I.
PING!!!!
I never thought about these lyrics in terms of mirroring what was actually happening. But now.....I have to agree with you.
Do not go gentle into that good night
by Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
I was just thinking of that a day or two ago. Thanks for posting it. That ought to be our theme as we head to the voting booth Tuesday.
It does seem to fit these times sadly. But there is hope & prayers! I am saying lots of them these days.
“Lets hope Don McLean was not a psychic channeling future events when he wrote this song.”
***
Don McLean, i understand, scribbled American Pie
in a Saratoga Springs tavern
... and then staggered down the street to the Caffe Lena coffeehouse,
where he gave its premiere performance.
A poem which really captures the ominous state of our culture today (although it was inspired by events at the close of WW I) is Yeats' Second Coming:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.
Owl_Eagle
There are people who are surrounded by bigots
and know it is wrong, but are afraid to be vocal against it.
These people are going to pull the lever for Obama
and they are not being polled.
angee_is_mad, DUmmy
And, as I recall, the “day the music died” referred to the day the plane with Buddy Holley, et al. went down.
I thought the day the music died was when Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens died in the plane crash.
shows what I know.
That is what I always thought too...
You are correct. Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens all went down in a plane, and that was “the Day the Music Died”.
"AMERICAN PIE" |
Was It A Tribute To Buddy Holly? |
A long long time ago, I can still remember But February made me shiver, with every paper Id deliver When I read about his widowed bride No doubt here that McLean is talking about the plane crash that took Buddy Holly from us. Notice the use of the pronoun "his" when talking about the widowed bride. Has this been a general statement without Buddy Holly in mind, the pronoun would have been "the". Also, McLean was delivering newspapers in 1959, thus, giving us a clue to his age. Most paper carriers are in their teens or younger. But something touched me deep inside, (Chorus) Bye Bye Miss American Pie Did you write the book of love Well, I know that youre in love with him I was a lonely teenage broning buck Now for ten years weve been on our own When the jester sang for the king and queen Oh, and while the king was looking down Then while Lennon read a book of Marx This is followed by the chorus explained previously. Helter skelter, in the summer swelter The players tried for a forward pass Cause the players tried to take the field This is followed by the chorus explained previously. Oh, as I watched him on the stage This is followed by the chorus explained previously. I met a girl who sang the blues I went down to the sacred store In the streets the children screamed And the three men I admired most |
From: rsk@gynko.circ.upenn.edu (Rich Kulawiec) Subject: The Annotated American Pie
This particularly enigmatic song has been discussed at least once a year since Usenet had a newsgroup for discussing music. These discussions frequently repeat themselves, but occasionally introduce new information and new interpretations. Having tired of watching the same process repeat itself for ten years, I've created this, the annotated "American Pie".
This posting consists of: the lyrics to the song (left-justified) with comments (indented); the chords, for those who'd like to tackle it; some miscellaneous notes; and references. Comments are most welcome; comments backed up with references are *very* welcome. I have attempted to note where the interpretation is questionable.
The roots of this posting are in the "Great American Pie" Usenet discussion of 1983; much of it comes from wombat's (the original wombat, not me) posting in net.music on June 16, 1985. As Robert Williams has pointed out to me, the entire song can be viewed as one big projective test, so interpretations vary quite a bit. I've tried to be inclusive while also indicating which ones I buy into and which I don't; your mileage may vary.
---Rsk 4/3/93
AMERICAN PIE by Don McLean
The entire song is a tribute to Buddy Holly and a commentary on how rock and roll changed in the years since his death. McLean seems to be lamenting the lack of "danceable" music in rock and roll and (in part) attributing that lack to the absence of Buddy Holly et. al.
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 Them good ol' boys were drinkin whiskey and rye Singing "This'll be the day that I die, This'll be the day that I die."
(Verse 2) 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 you're in love with him 'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' 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... Refrain (Verse 3) 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... Refrain (Verse 4) Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with the 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 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 (Verse 5) 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
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... Refrain (Verse 6) 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 Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing... Refrain (2x)
Chords to the song: The song appears to be in G; the chords are: Intro: G Bm/F# Em . Am . C . Em . D . . . G Bm/F# Em . Am . C . Em . A . D . . . Em . Am . Em . Am . C G/B Am . C . D . G Bm/F# Em . Am . C . G Bm/F# Em . Am . D . G . C . G . D . Chorus: G . C . G . D . G . C . G . D . G . C . G . D . Em . . . A . . . (all but Em . . . D . . . last chorus) C . D . G C G . (last chorus)
The Big Bopper's real name was J.P. Richardson. He was a DJ for a Texas radio station who had one very big novelty hit, the very well known "Chantilly Lace". There was a fourth person who was going to ride the plane. There was room for three, ahd the fourth person lost the toss -- or should I say won the toss. His name is Waylon Jennings...and to this day he refuses to talk about the crash. ( Jennings was the bass player for Holly's band at the time. Some people say that Holly had chartered the plane for his band, but that Valens and/or Richardson was sick that night and asked to take the place of the band members.)
About the "coat he borrowed from James Dean": James Dean's red windbreaker is important throughout the film, not just at the end. When he put it on, it meant that it was time to face the world, time to do what he thought had to be done, and other melodramatic but thoroughly enjoyable stuff like that. The week after the movie came out, virtually every clothing store in the U.S. was sold out of red windbreakers. Remember that Dean's impact was similar to Dylan's: both were a symbol for the youth of their time, a reminder that they had something to say and demanded to be listened to.
American Pie is supposed to be the name of the plane that crashed, containing the three guys that died. (Reported by Ronald van Loon from the discussion on American Pie, autumn 1991, on rec.music.folk)
Dan Stanley mentioned an interesting theory involving all of this; roughly put, he figures that if Holly hadn't died, then we would not have suffered through the Fabian/Pat Boone/et.al. era...and as a consequence, we wouldn't have *needed* the Beatles -- Holly was moving pop music away from the stereotypical boy/girl love lost/found lyrical ideas, and was recording with unique instrumentation and techniques...things that Beatles wouldn't try until about 1965. Perhaps Dylan would have stuck with the rock and roll he played in high school, and the Byrds never would have created an amalgam of Dylan songs and Beatle arrangements.
Lynn Gold tells me that "Life" magazine carried an annotated version of American Pie when the song came out; does anybody have a copy?
>As to what they threw off the bridge, Bobbie Gentry once went on record with >the statement that it was the mystery that made the song, and that the mystery >would remain unsolved. Don McLean later used the same device to even greater >success with "American Pie," which triggered a national obsession on figuring >out the "real meaning" of the song.
Well, probably not a national obsession, but certainly the life's work of many talented scholars. According to the latest edition of the "American Pie Historical Interpretive Digest" (APHID), noted McLean historian Vincent Vandeman has postulated that cheezy country songs may have played a much more prominent role in the epic composition than had originally been thought. In particular, the "widowed bride," usually supposed to be either Ella Holly or Joan Rivers, may in fact be Billie Jo. According to this radical exegesis, the "pink carnation" of McLean's song is probably what was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge, and was later found by the lonely, teenaged McLean as he wandered drunkenly on the levee.
Of course, such a view poses problems. McLean vehemently denies any knowledge of Choctaw Ridge, and any theory linking the two songs must surely address this mysterious meeting place of Billie Jo and her husband Billy Joe. Vandeman speculates that Choctaw Ridge may have been the place McLean drove his Chevy after drinking whiskey and rye, and that McLean may have been unaware of the name because of his foggy mental state. Still, there appear to be many tenuous connections in Vandeman's interpretation - Tammy Wynette as the girl who sang the blues, the proposed affair between Wynette and Billie Joe which later led to d-i-v-o-r-c-e and Billy Joe's suicide, the mysterious whereabouts of George Jones, and why McLean insisted on driving a Chevy to the levee instead of a more economical Japanese car.
My own view is that none of it makes much sense. Vandeman's theory is intriguing, but it seems far more logical to hold to the traditional interpretation of "American Pie" as an eschatological parable of nuclear destruction and the rebirth of civilization on Alpha Centauri.
[ Thanks, Andrew. I'll take it under advisement. ;-) ---Rsk ]
wombat@ccvaxa.uucp ihuxr!steck steiny@idsvax.uuucp ihldt!bnp sbcs!murray fortune!grw iws@rayssdb.ray.com (Ihor W. Slabicky) tugs@csri.toronto.edu (Stephen Hull) dko@calmasd.ge.com (Dan O'Neill) ssm@calmasd.ge.com (Sharon McBroom) mfterman@phoenix.princeton.edu (Martin Terman) rsk@gynko.circ.upenn.edu (Rich Kulawiec) tim@tcom.stc.co.uk (Tim Kennedy) rns@tortuga.sandiego.ncr.com (Rick Schubert) paul@moore.com (Paul Maclauchlan) rvloon@cv.ruu.nl (Ronald van Loon) wirth@sdsc.edu (Colleen Wirth) nelson@berlioz.nsc.com (Taed Nelson) bschlesinger@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Barry Schlesinger) Thomas.Sullivan@cs.cmu.edu (Tom Sullivan) H.Edwards@massey.ac.nz (Howard Edwards) gerry@macadam.mpce.mq.edu.au (Gerry Myerson) rice@mcz.harvard.edu dave@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Dave Hayes) rlwilliams@gallua.bitnet (Robert L. Williams) bee@ms.uky.edu (Elizabeth Gilliam) chris@gandalf.ca (Chris Sullivan) dtpilkey@mailbox.syr.edu (David T. Pilkey) Dan Stanley at Fitchburg State College (courtesy of Timothy J. Stanley, tjs@z.eecs.umich.edu) lgold@cadence.com (Lynn Gold) ajw@cbnews.cb.att.com (Andrew J. Whitman) landman@hal.com (Howard Landman) wegeng@eso.mc.xerox.com (Don Wegeng) al@jupiter.nmt.edu (Al Stavely) David (D.C.) Cromwell
1/20/92 Constructed from various old postings 1/27/92 Added comments from Usenetters on first draft 2/3/92 More comments folded in; reposted today, the anniversary of The Day the Music Died 8/18/92 Added comments generated by the Februrary posting. 1/3/93 Caught up on lots of updates that have been languishing in my inbound mail queue for months. 4/2/93 Rearranged much of the text, incorporated more feedback from readers, and move the credits and history to the end.
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I’m not humming. Just don’t feel like it.
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