Don McLean: 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

 

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

Something touched me deep inside

The day the music died

So

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

And them good ole boys were drinking 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 and 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’

 

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die

This’ll be the day that I die

 

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 singin’

 

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

And singin’ 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

 

Now the half-time 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 singin’

 

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

And singin’ 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

 

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 sacrificial rite

I saw Satan laughing with delight

The day the music died

He was singin’

 

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

Singin’ 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

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 the Holy Ghost

They caught the last train for the coast

The day the music died

And they were singing

 

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die

This’ll be the day that I die

 

They were singing

Bye, bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye

Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die

There are lots of expressions in the lyrics. Can you translate these into Hungarian?

1. a long long time ago

2. that music used to make me smile

3. if I had my chance

4. something touched me deep inside

5. that’s not how it used to be

6. my hands were clenched in fists of rage

7. she just smiled and turned away

8. not a word was spoken

Key

1. réges régen

2. az a zene régebben megmosolyogtatott/mosolyt csalt az arcomra

3. ha esélyt kaptam volna

4. valami belül mélyen megérintett       

5. nem úgy van, ahogy régen volt

6. ökölbe szorult a kezem a dühtől

7. csak mosolygott és elfordult

8. egyetlen szó sem hangzott el