Arti lagu American Pie menceritakan tentang perubahan budaya di Amerika dari sudut pandang pribadi dan sosial. Lagu ini dimulai dengan narasi tentang “The Day the Music Died” yang merujuk pada tragedi kecelakaan pesawat pada 3 Februari 1959, yang menewaskan musisi Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, dan The Big Bopper. Tragedi ini dianggap sebagai akhir dari era tertentu dalam musik rock and roll, dan lagu ini mencerminkan kehilangan dan perubahan yang terjadi setelahnya.
American Pie Don McLean Lirik Terjemahan Indonesia
[Verse 1]
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
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
Dahulu kala
Aku masih ingat bagaimana musik itu
Dulu membuatku tersenyum
Dan aku tahu jika aku punya kesempatan
Bahwa aku bisa membuat orang-orang itu berdansa
Dan mungkin mereka akan bahagia untuk sementara waktu
Tapi Februari membuatku menggigil
Dengan setiap kertas yang kubawa
Kabar buruk di depan pintu
Aku tidak bisa melangkah lebih jauh
Aku tidak ingat apakah aku menangis
Ketika aku membaca tentang istrinya yang janda
Tapi ada sesuatu yang menyentuhku jauh di dalam
Hari ketika musik itu mati
[Chorus]
So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”
Jadi, selamat tinggal, Nona American Pie
Mengemudikan Chevy-ku ke tanggul, tapi tanggulnya kering
Dan anak-anak lelaki baik itu minum wiski dan gandum hitam
Bernyanyi, “Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati
Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati”
[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 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
Apakah kau menulis buku cinta?
Dan apakah kau beriman kepada Tuhan di atas
Jika Alkitab memberitahumu demikian? Sekarang, apakah kau percaya pada rock ‘n’ roll?
Bisakah musik menyelamatkan jiwamu yang fana?
Dan bisakah kau mengajariku cara berdansa dengan sangat lambat?
Baiklah, aku tahu kau mencintainya
Karena aku melihatmu menari di pusat kebugaran
Kalian berdua melepas sepatu kalian
Wah, aku suka irama dan blues itu
Aku adalah seorang remaja jantan yang kesepian
Dengan bunga anyelir merah muda dan truk pikap
Tapi aku tahu aku kurang beruntung
Hari ketika musik itu mati
[Chorus]
I started singin’, 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
And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”
Aku mulai bernyanyi, selamat tinggal, Nona American Pie
Mengemudikan Chevy-ku ke tanggul, tetapi tanggul itu kering
Anak-anak lelaki baik itu minum wiski dan gandum hitam
Dan bernyanyi, “Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati
Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati”
[Verse 3]
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
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
Sekarang, selama sepuluh tahun kita telah sendiri
Dan lumut tumbuh besar di atas batu yang menggelinding
Tapi dulu tidak seperti itu
Ketika pelawak bernyanyi untuk raja dan ratu
Dengan mantel yang dipinjamnya dari James Dean
Dan suara yang datang darimu dan aku
Oh, dan saat raja melihat ke bawah
Pelawak mencuri mahkota berduri miliknya
Ruang sidang ditunda
Tidak ada putusan yang diberikan
Dan saat Lennon membaca buku tentang Marx
Kuartet berlatih di taman
Dan kami menyanyikan lagu-lagu sedih dalam kegelapan
Hari ketika musik berhenti
[Chorus]
We were singin’, 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
And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”
[Verse 4]
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and fallin’ 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?
[Chorus]
We started singin’, 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
And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”
Aku mulai bernyanyi, selamat tinggal, Nona American Pie
Mengemudikan Chevy-ku ke tanggul, tetapi tanggul itu kering
Anak-anak lelaki baik itu minum wiski dan gandum hitam
Dan bernyanyi, “Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati
Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati”
[Verse 5]
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 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
[Chorus]
He was singin’, 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
And singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die…”
Aku mulai bernyanyi, selamat tinggal, Nona American Pie
Mengemudikan Chevy-ku ke tanggul, tetapi tanggul itu kering
Anak-anak lelaki baik itu minum wiski dan gandum hitam
Dan bernyanyi, “Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati
Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati”
[Bridge]
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
[Deleted Verse]
And there I stood alone and afraid
I dropped to my knees and there I prayed
And I promised Him everything I could give
If only He would make the music live
And He promised it would live once more
But this time one would equal four
And in five years four had come to mourn
And the music was reborn
[Chorus]
And they were singin’, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”
Aku mulai bernyanyi, selamat tinggal, Nona American Pie
Mengemudikan Chevy-ku ke tanggul, tetapi tanggul itu kering
Anak-anak lelaki baik itu minum wiski dan gandum hitam
Dan bernyanyi, “Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati
Ini akan menjadi hari ketika aku mati”
[Outro]
They were singin’, 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
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”