.......WEST....BY GODDESS.....TEXAS.......

Yes, it's that time again...Not sure it is exactly that time again or if I'm stalling....yea, I'm stalling..although I did tell this one guy that I would do a West Post as he really likes them...so here goes..the news of the past week of West...
We are having meetings up and down I-35 about the Trans Texas Corridor that will effect Central Texas...If you google it you can see where it will really effect our area. As if it goes through it will wipe out the little town's of Malone, Penelope, Birome, Hoen, Leroy, Mount Calm and Axtell. It will butt right up against Tours and Elm Mott. These are little farming communities that have been here for close to 150 years...Mount Calm is where the Branch Dividians were...I am pissed and it won't even effect us...but it is pretty damn close...It's not a done deal yet, so am hoping they will quietly remove their heads out of thier asses and rethink it..
There is a reward offered for information in an Elk dumping case out by Tours..Eight cow elk and one bull elk, with no bullet holes. They are thinking maybe some sort of contamination and then dumping...someone's ass will be kicked.
West is being asked to conserve water..we have plenty of it, but if we use too much it takes alot of time for us to refill it from Lake Waco...but so far we are just being asked to water only in early am and late pm..
Oh goodie goodie! The Bold Spring Baptist Church Women's Department will be selling their hamburgers on the 21st and 24th...I can't tell you just how great their hamburgers are...The Volunteer Fire Dept got some training classes in West...we have an excellent Fire Dept. The VFD had a tractor pull for yesterday and today...I saw the signs but I'm not sure that watching a bunch of guys pulling shit with tractors is down my alley...
Rodger turned 40, Maria turned 40,Jordyn Matus turned a year, and Landri Glover just turned 2.Joanna Wolf and Johathan Rogers were married on July 8th at St. Mary's here in West. Man, she looks so beautiful...(the church at top is St. Mary's..were I go to light candles for you all.)Two engagements..Kelli Rene Volcik is engaged to Alan Joseph Jones, and Candace Ann Herdman is engaged to Charles Edwin Badillo..
Babies ..we have babies...Wyatt Charles Sexton was born on July 5th, weighing in at 9lbs.3ozs. and 21 inches long..Claire Catherine Kubitza was born on July 4th and weighted 7lbs.3 ozs. and was 20inches long...ohh, a fourth of July baby...
There are 2 couples celebrating anniversaries..one for 59 years and Henry and Cressie Girard are celebrating their 60th anniversary..Oops, missed an engagement and marriage..Kimberly Outerbridge is engaged to Clay A Psencik, and Marvin Gerik,Jr. and Shelley Cvikel were married...
There were 9 garage sales and I hit 6 of them..Got lots of good stuff...Some one lost a gray and white cat.
Sunday July 30th there will be a deication of the New West Knights of Columbus Club Hall...they will have a polka mass at 10am, dedication begins at 1pm. There will be a dance from 2pm to 7pm-$7.00 per person with music provided by Vrazels Polka Band an Vaneks Band of West. Hoooooo, the Vaneks of West...
The W.E. Electric girls won the district championship at state tourney in Salado...The Knights of Columbus is having their annual BBQ Cookoff on July 28-29th..They are still renovatiing the stadium seats at the Trojan Field..I thought they were going to build new ones,but guess the voted that out...Well, that's it..all the news that is fit to print...Yup folks...it's still 1957 here...come see us at Westfest....labor day weekend.....I'll buy you a sausage on a stick and a beer....

.......1972..I AM WOMAN...HEAR ME ROAR......

This is the year that is the beginning of three years of trials and tribulations..mostly....trial...
I knew this was going to be difficult, but I didn't know how difficult till I woke up this morning fresh from a hellish nightmare..so you will see me be doing a little dodging and evading for this year, 73 and 74...but I hope to dazzle you with bullshit and funny stuff....if not?..well, tought shit..
I got my divorce from Bill C. in '72..and I know I have told this story before, but alot of you are new and haven't heard me tell it..so here 'tis..
I told you Brian B. was my best friend..well, he and I would go out and drink, raise hell and shoot pool..I am good...Or at least I was good, don't play much any more..But back in the day I supported my drug and most of my drinking habit with my winnings from playing pool...I used to go to the pool hall after I had taken the boys to school and would play golf and 3-ball...look it up..they are tough games.. I played every day with all of the judges, lawyers, clerks, etc. in Roswell...I took all their money...might have had a lot to do with the see through blouses I would wear, but I like to think I was just better than them...so one of the lawyers that I knew became a Judge..and when I went to court to get my divorce he was the Judge...he was in a panic..he knew full well what I was capable of ...We were supposed to be there at 10am..so Brian and I started drinking Bloody Mary's at 7am..now remember I am a bartender and it's '72, so my outfits were just that..outfits..I had my black micro mini skirt, a see through blouse, no bra, boots(made for walking)and my bells...I still had my string of bells I wore around my waist...I told everyone that I wore them because no matter how fucked up I got, as long as I could hear my bells, I would know where I was...it actually made perfect sense at the time..now I can see some flaws in the theory...
So Brian and I show up for court and we're both drunk...The Judge takes one look at me and tells my attorney to make me go home and change that what I had on was not appropiate for court...So I went home and changed clothes..came back with a bra on, turtle neck and purple hot pants with flap that made it look like a skirt...they sent me home again...each time I had to go home I stopped and had another Bloody Mary...when I got back after the 3rd trip the Judge realized he was fucked...At this rate we would be there until midnight or till I passed out which ever came first...since I could handle my booze pretty good back then..I think it would have been midnight..so court is in session...on the way to sit by the Judge I goosed my attorney...every lawyer in Roswell, New Mexico was in the court room that day...(my skirts had brought them out of every room in the court house)every time I moved the bells rang...so in order to just get this thing on the road and out of his court room, the Judge says:"so, Mrs. C. can you tell me why you don't think this marriage can't be saved?"...I said:"Yes, I don't think this marriage can be saved because the only thing we ever did in bed was read, and the only thing we had in common was we both liked the Cookie Monster on Sesame Stree."....he banged his gavel said 'Divorce granted.....now get her out of here."...the court room erupted in applause and laughter...I strutted out of there, with bells a jangling...My attorney said he would do my next divorce for free...said no thanks...should have took him up on it...I also found out that the entire transcript of my divorce was hung in the hallway of the court house with a note by it saying ' typical divorce in state of New Mexico'..'
I also met Jack D. who was to become my third and last husband and father of Maryjo...
My life may have been on the way to wreck and ruin, but so was the Presidents...He started out the year by going to communist China to meet Mao Zedong.
Great Britain took over direct rule of Northern Ireland in a bid for peace..yeah, and how did that work out for you??
The governor of Alabama, George C. Wallace was shot at a political rally in Laurel, Md. by Authur H. Bremers.
Five men are apprehended by the police in an attempt to bug the Democratic National Committe, headquartered in Washington D.C.'s Watergate Complex...heehee..which begins the down fall of Tricky Dick and his buddies...we should only hope the same happens for Forest Gump and his bidness cronies.
The Supreme Court rules that the death penalty is unconstitutional...
Eleven Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Munich, Germany are killed after eight members of an Arab terrorist group invade Olympian Villiage. Five of the guerrilas and one policeman are also killed.
We bomb the shit out of North Vietnam on Christmas...Way to go Dick.
But the music..oh yes, always saved by the music..'I gotcha'
by Joe Tex,'Rock Me Baby' by Johnny Farnham(love that song),Abba's 'People Heed Love and He Is Your Brother.'
'Take it Easy'by the Eagles,'Jealous Guy' by John Lennon,'All the Young Dudes'by Mott the Goople and 'You're So Vain' by Carly Simon...Oh...kay...! Who IS she singing about?
'Me and Julio Down By the School yard and Mother and Child Reunion, America,and Domican by Paul Simon.Who can forget the ode to a rat? 'Ben'by Michael Jackson.Another favorite of mine'Baby Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me' by Mac Davis, 'American Pie' by Don McLean, a song we have discussed, 'Horse With No Name'by America, 'Crocodile Rock and Rocket Man' by Elton John.'Layla' by Derek and the Dominoes.'You don't mess around with Jim' by Jim Croce and the 'Candyman' by Sammy Davis Jr..
'Lean on Me' by Bill Withers, 'Lets Stay Together' by Al Green, and a couple of hidden meaning songs'Brand New Key' by Melanie and 'My Ding-a-ling'by Chuck Berry.'Morning Has Broken' by Cat Stevens, 'I can see Clearly'by Johnny Nash, and two songs that I love, and don't care how hokey the second one is..'The First Time I ever Saw His Face' by Roberta Flack and 'Brandy' by Looking Glass...'Brandy..you're a fine girl...''Long Cool Woman(in a black dress) by the Hollies, 'Papa was a Rolling Stone'by the Temptations, 'Heart of Gold'by Neil Young, and 'Song Song Blue' by Neil Diamond.
The Rolling Stones had 'Tumbling Dice and Happy.''Alone again Naturally' by Gilbert O'Sullivan,and of course'I am Woman' by Helen Reddy. Also one of the greatest 'head'songs...'Knights in White Satin'by Moody Blues...Can't even begin to tell you how many times I listened to the Moody Blues while tripping..the one where you go thru the doors...hooboy...
'Starman' by David Bowie,'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'by Robert John, 'Rock and Roll' by Led Zeppelin and 'Oh Girl' by the Chi-lites...'Black and White' by 3-Dog Night, and 'Me and Mrs. Jones.Such great music...don't think they will ever be able to top the music of the 60's and 70's....
Deaths for '72 Mahalia Jackson and Oscar Levant...If you don't know who these two people are...shame on you..google them...Oscar Levant was one of the funniest mad men ever...and Mahalia Jackson was one of the greatest female singers ever...I forgot to include this when I was doing 1970...Jimi Hendrix died On Sept. 18th and Janis Joplin died on Oct.4th..I always said one of the reason's I didn't over does like they did, is they had better drugs..and more of them...
Births..Rob Thomas from Match Box 20 and Clef Jean from the Fugees...What was in? Afro's, bell bottoms, poncho's, platform shoes, prairie skirts, leisrue suits, wedge boots and wrangler jeans.... Jackie survived another year and rid her self of another husband...So far...........so good...

.......BYE BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE.......

THE ANNOTATED AMERICAN PIE
(What the song is talkin' about!)
By Rich Kulawiec

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. (Verse 1)

A long, long time ago...

"American Pie" reached #1 in the US in 1972, but the album containing it was released in 1971. Buddy Holly died in 1959.

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

One of early rock and roll's functions was to provide dance music for various social events. McLean recalls his desire to become a musician playing that sort of music.

But February made me shiver,

Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm.The news came to most of the world on the morning of February 3, which is why it's known as The Day The Music Died.

With every paper I'd deliver,

Don McLean's only job besides being a full-time singer-songwriter was being a paperboy.

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

Holly's recent bride, Maria Elena, was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward.

But something touched me deep inside,
The day the music died.

The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also took the lives of Richie Valens ("La Bamba") and The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace"). Since all three were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959 became known as "The Day The Music Died".



So...
(Refrain)

Bye bye Miss American Pie,

Miss American Pie *is* rock and roll music. Don McLean dated a Miss America candidate during the pageant. (unconfirmed)

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singing "This'll be the day that I die,
This'll be the day that I die."

One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the chorus contains the line "That'll be the day that I die"

VERSE TWO

Did you write the book of love,

"The Book of Love" by the Monotones; hit in 1958.

And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?

In 1955, Don Cornell did a song entitled "The Bible Tells Me So". Rick Schubert pointed this out, and mentioned that he hadn't heard the song, so it was kinda difficult to tell if it was what McLean was referencing. Dave Tutelman tells me that this particular song wasn't exactly a gem of rock 'n roll.

There's also an old Sunday School song which goes: "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so" (Stephen Joseph Smith tells me that Bartlett's gives the source of this as "The Love of Jesus", by Anna Bartlett Warner, 1858.)

Now do you believe in rock 'n roll?

The Lovin' Spoonful had a hit in 1965 with John Sebastian's "Do you Believe in Magic?". The song has the lines: "Do you believe in magic/it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock and roll."

Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Dancing slow was an important part of early rock and roll dance events -- but declined in importance through the 60's as things like psychedelia and the 10-minute guitar solo gained prominence.

Well I know you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym

Slowdancing COULD just be dancing, or it could be vertical "making out". It wasn't hard to watch a couple slow-dancing and figure out whether they had some sort of relationship, if you knew anything about slow dancing. So just the fact they were dancing didn't tell you anything, but if "I saw you dancing in the gym" I could tell from watching whether there was anything between you (figuratively :-). (Thanks to Dave Tutelman for this note.)

You both kicked off your shoes

A reference to the beloved "sock hop".(Leather-soled street shoes tear up wooden basketball floors, and rubber-soled sneakers grip too much for dance moves, so dancers had to take off their shoes.)

Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues

Some history. Before the popularity of rock and roll, music, like much else in the U. S., was highly segregated. The popular music of black performers for largely black audiences was called, first, "race music", later softened to rhythm and blues. In the early 50s, as they were exposed to it through radio personalities such as Allan Freed, white teenagers began listening, too. Starting around 1954, a number of songs from the rhythm and blues charts began appearing on the overall popular charts as well, but usually in cover versions by established white artists, (e. g. "Shake Rattle and Roll", Joe Turner, covered by Bill Haley; "Sh-Boom", the Chords, covered by the Crew-Cuts; "Sincerely", the Moonglows, covered by the Mc Guire Sisters; Tweedle Dee, LaVerne Baker, covered by Georgia Gibbs). By 1955, some of the rhythm and blues artists, like Fats Domino and Little Richard were able to get records on the overall pop charts. In 1956 Sun records added elements of country and western to produce the kind of rock and roll tradition that produced Buddy Holly. (Thanks to Barry Schlesinger for this historical note. ---Rsk)

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

"A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)", was a hit for Marty Robbins in 1957. The pickup truck has endured as a symbol of sexual independence and potency, especially in a Texas context. (Also, Jimmy Buffet does a song about "a white sport coat and a pink crustacean".

But I knew that I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singing...

Refrain

VERSE THREE



Now for ten years we've been on our own

McLean was writing this song in the late 60's, about ten years after the crash.

And moss grows fat on a rolling stone

It's unclear who the "rolling stone" is supposed to be. It could be Dylan, since "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965) was his first major hit; and since he was busy writing songs extolling the virtues of simple love, family and contentment while staying at home (he didn't tour from '66 to '74) and raking in the royalties. This was quite a change from the earlier, angrier Dylan.

The "rolling stone" could also be Elvis, although I don't think he'd started to pork out by the late sixties. It could refer to rock and rollers in general, and the changes that had taken place in the business in the 60's, especially the huge amounts of cash some of them were beginning to make, and the relative stagnation that entered the music at the same time.

Or, perhaps it's a reference to the stagnation in rock and roll.

Or, finally, it could refer to the Rolling Stones themselves; a lot of musicians were angry at the Stones for "selling out". Howard Landman points out that John Foxx of Ultravox was sufficiently miffed to write a song titled "Life At Rainbow's End (For All The Tax Exiles On Main Street)". The Stones at one point became citizens of some other country merely to save taxes.

But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the King and Queen

The jester is Bob Dylan, as will become clear later. There are several interpretations of king and queen: some think that Elvis Presley is the king, which seems pretty obvious. The queen is said to be either Connie Francis or Little Richard. But see the next note.

An alternate interpretation is that this refers to the Kennedys -- the king and queen of "Camelot" -who were present at a Washington DC civil rights rally featuring Martin Luther King. (There's a recording of Dylan performing at this rally.)

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

In the movie "Rebel Without a Cause", James Dean has a red windbreaker that holds symbolic meaning throughout the film (see note at end of Annotated American Pie). In one particularly intense scene, Dean lends his coat to a guy who is shot and killed; Dean's father arrives, sees the coat on the dead man, thinks it's Dean, and loses it. On the cover of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", Dylan is wearing just such as red windbreaker, and is posed in a street scene similar to one shown in a well-known picture of James Dean. Bob Dylan played a command performance for the Queen and Prince Consort of England. He was *not* properly attired, so perhaps this is a reference to his apparel.

And a voice that came from you and me

Bob Dylan's roots are in American folk music, with people like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Folk music is by definition the music of the masses, hence the "...came from you and me".

Oh, and while the King was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown

This could be a reference to Elvis's decline and Dylan's ascendance. (i.e. Presley is looking down from a height as Dylan takes his place.) The thorny crown might be a reference to the price of fame. Dylan has said that he wanted to be as famous as Elvis, one of his early idols.

The courtroom was adjourned,
No verdict was returned.

This could be the trial of the Chicago Seven, but McLean seems to be talking about music, not politics at this point in the song. With that in mind, perhaps he meant that the arguments between Dylan and Elvis fans over who was better just couldn't be settled.

And while Lennon read a book on Marx,

Literally, John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the introduction of radical politics into the music of the Beatles. (Of course, he could be referring to Groucho Marx, but that doesn't seem quite consistent with McLean's overall tone. On the other hand, some of the wordplay in Lennon's lyrics and books is reminiscint of Groucho.) The "Marx-Lennon" wordplay has also been used by others, most notably the Firesign Theatre on the cover of their album "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?". Also, a famous French witticism was "Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho."; "I'm a Marxist of the Groucho variety".

It's also a pun on "Lenin".

The quartet practiced in the park

There are two schools of thought about this; the obvious one is the Beatles playing in Shea Stadium, but note that the previous line has John Lennon *doing something else at the same time*. This tends to support the theory that this is a reference to the Weavers, who were blacklisted during the McCarthy era. McLean had become friends with Lee Hays of the Weavers in the early 60's while performing in coffeehouses and clubs in upstate New York and New York City. He was also well-acquainted with Pete Seeger; in fact, McLean, Seeger, and others took a trip on the Hudson river singing anti-pollution songs at one point. Seeger's LP "God Bless the Grass" contains many of these songs.

And we sang dirges in the dark

A "dirge" is a funeral or mourning song, so perhaps this is meant literally...or, perhaps, this is a reference to some of the new "art rock" groups which played long pieces not meant for dancing.

The day the music died.
We were singing...

Refrain

VERSE FOUR

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

"Helter Skelter" is a Beatles song which appears on the "white" album. Charles Manson, claiming to have been "inspired" by the song (through which he thought God and/or the devil were taking to him) led his followers in the Tate-LaBianca murders. Is "summer swelter" a reference to the "Summer of Love" or perhaps to the "long hot summer" of Watts?

The birds flew off with the fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast

The Byrd's "Eight Miles High" was on their late 1966 release "Fifth Dimension". It was one of the first records to be widely banned because of supposedly drug-oriented lyrics.

It landed foul on the grass.

One of the Byrds was busted for possession of marijuana.

The players tried for a forward pass

Obviously a football metaphor, but about what? It could be the Rolling Stones, i.e. they were waiting for an opening which really didn't happen until the Beatles broke up.

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph 55 motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident.

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume

Drugs, man.

Well, now, wait a minute; that's probably too obvious. It's possible that this line and the next few refer to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The "sweet perfume" is probably tear gas.

While sergeants played a marching tune

Following from the thought above, the sergeants would be the Chicago Police and the Illinois National Guard, who marched the protestors out of the park and into jail.

Alternatively, this could refer to the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Or, perhaps McLean refers to the Beatles' music in general as "marching" because it's not music for dancing. Or, finally, the "marching tune" could be the draft.

We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

The Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert only lasted 35 minutes. Or, following on from the previous comment, perhaps he meant that there wasn't any music to dance to.

'Cause the players tried to take the field,
The marching band refused to yield.

Some folks think this refers to either the 1968 Deomcratic Convention or Kent State; following on from the Chicago reference above, this could be another comment on protests. But perhaps the players are the protestors at Kent State, and the marching band the Ohio National Guard...

This could be a reference to the dominance of the Beatles on the rock and roll scene. For instance, the Beach Boys released "Pet Sounds" in 1966 -- an album which featured some of the same sort of studio and electronic experimentation as "Sgt. Pepper" (1967) -- but the album sold poorly.

This might also be a comment about how the dominance of the Beatles in the rock world led to more "pop art" music, leading in turn to a dearth of traditional rock and roll.

Or finally, this might be a comment which follows up on the earlier reference to the draft: the government/military-industrial-complex establishment refused to accede to the demands of the peace movement.

Do you recall what was revealed,
The day the music died?
We started singing

Refrain

VERSE FIVE

And there we were all in one place

Woodstock.

A generation lost in space

Some people think this is a reference to the US space program, which it might be; but that seems a bit too literal. Perhaps this is a reference to "hippies", who were sometimes known as the "lost generation", partially because of their particularly acute alientation from their parents, and partially because of their presumed preoccupation with drugs. It could also be a reference to the awful TV show, "Lost in Space", whose title was sometimes used as a synonym for someone who was rather high...but I keep hoping that McLean had better taste. :-)

With no time left to start again

The "lost generation" spent too much time being stoned, and had wasted their lives? Or, perhaps, their preference for psychedelia had pushed rock and roll so far from Holly's music that it couldn't be retrieved.

So come on Jack be nimble Jack be quick

Probably a reference to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones; "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in May, 1968.

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick

The Stones' Candlestick park concert?

'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

"Sympathy for the Devil", by the Stones -- seems to fit with some of the surrounding material.

It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil". But I doubt it.

An alternative interpretation of the last four lines is that they may refer to Jack Kennedy and his quick decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the candlesticks/fire refer to ICBMs and nuclear war.

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

While playing a concert at the Altamont Speedway in 1968, the Stones appointed members of the Hell's Angels to work security (on the advice of the Grateful Dead). In the darkness near the front of the stage, a young man named Meredith Hunter was beaten and stabbed to death -- by the Angels. Public outcry that the song "Sympathy for the Devil" had somehow incited the violence caused the Stones to drop the song from their show for the next six years. This incident is chronicled in the documentary film "Gimme Shelter".

It's also possible that McLean views the Stones as being negatively inspired (remember, he had an extensive religious background) by virtue of "Sympathy for the Devil", "Their Satanic Majesties' Request" and so on. I find this a bit puzzling, since the early Stones recorded a lot of "roots" rock and roll, including Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away".

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite

The most likely interpretation is that McLean is still talking about Altamont, and in particular Mick Jagger's prancing and posing while it was happening. The sacrifice is Meredith Hunter, and the bonfires around the area provide the flames.

(It could be a reference to Jimi Hendrix burning his Stratocaster at the Monterey Pop Festival, but that was in 1967 and this verse is set in 1968.)

I saw Satan laughing with delight

If the above is correct, then Satan would be Jagger.

The day the music died
He was singing...

Refrain

VERSE SIX

I met a girl who sang the blues

Janis Joplin.

And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away

Janis died of an accidental heroin overdose on October 4, 1970

I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before

There are two interpretations of this: The "sacred store" was Bill Graham's Fillmore West, one of the great rock and roll venues of all time. Alternatively, this refers to record stores, and their longtime (then discontinued) practice of allowing customers to preview records in the store. (What year did the Fillmore West close?)

It could also refer to record stores as "sacred" because this is where one goes to get "saved". (See above lyric "Can music save your mortal soul?")

But the man there said the music wouldn't play

Perhaps he means that nobody is interested in hearing Buddy Holly et.al.'s music? Or, as above, the discontinuation of the in-store listening booths.

It's also possible that this line and the two before it refer to the closing of the Fillmore West in 19?? -- but I've been unable to verify that it was actually closed when this song was written.

And in the streets the children screamed

"Flower children" being beaten by police and National Guard troops; in particular, perhaps, the People's Park riots in Berkeley in 1969 and 1970.

The lovers cried and the poets dreamed

The trend towards psychedelic music in the 60's?

But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

It could be that the broken bells are the dead musicians: neither can produce any more music.

And the three men I admire most The Father Son and Holy Ghost

Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens
-- or -- Hank Williams, Presley and Holly
-- or -- JFK, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy
-- or -- the Catholic aspects of the deity. McLean had attended several Catholic schools.

They caught the last train for the coast

Could be a reference to wacky California religions, or could just be a way of saying that they've left (or died -- western culture often uses "went west" as a synonym for dying). Or, perhaps this is a reference to the famous "God is Dead" headline in the New York Times. David Cromwell has suggested that this is an oblique reference to a line in Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale", but I'm not sure I buy that; for one thing, all of McLean's musical references are to much older "roots" rock and roll songs; and secondly, I think it's more likely that this line shows up in both songs simply because it's a common cultural metaphor.

The day the music died.

This tends to support the conjecture that the "three men" were Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens, since this says that they left on the day the music died.

And they were singing...

Refrain (2x)

Other notes:

"Killing Me Softly With His Song", Roberta Flack's Grammy Award-winning single of 1973, was written by Charles Gimble and Norman Fox about McLean.

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. This is not true.
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.

I had nothing to do with this other than Babs copy and pasting it here for you all..I read it and really did enjoy it..so thought you might too...The Trio died in 1959 and Don Mclean wrote this in 1971..it came out in 1972....I hope that you enjoy this as much as I did..

1971...GETTING SHIT TOGETHER,......KINDA

jackiesue


I have a job, my own place for me and the boys... And I have dogs....man do I have dogs..somehow I have acquired a yard full of strays..there must be a marking of some sort on my fence that says 'eat and live here for free'....I have Santana, 3-dog, Zeppelin,Jefferson, and a psycho dog that has endeared himself to no one but the other dogs, named 'You crazy motherfucker'which we have shortened to 'crazy'....although Thom calls him motherfucker when he thinks no one is listening.. I have made a new friend...Brian B..he is my new best friend..(and remains so till this day)he is married to Lila who thank God knows there is nothing going on between me and her husband except for a tendency to drink too much and play pool..I'm not sure that she knew about our occasional little drug use..even when he was off doing his own thing he would manage to find my couch or bed...I would wake up and there would be me, the dogs, Dave, Thom and ...yup..Brian...phone would ring and it would be Lila.."Is Brian there..?"..."Yup, just woke up and did head count and have one extra for breakfast, you want me to send him home?"..."Nah, tell the sonofabitch he's late for work" ..It never occurred for her to think there was anything going on...Nor did we ever consider it...we was 'buds'.......Daddy and the wicked step-mother are having problems and as much as I disliked her, I didn't want Daddy to be unhappy..and knew that much of their problem was 'Daddy's Little Darling'.me..
But things continue on and then toward the end of the year...
I meet Jack D..well, fuckity fuck fuck fuck..If I knew then what I know now..I would have ran screaming down the street and as far away from him as I could get...To bad he didn't have a sign hanging from his neck saying "Bad news, run for your life"....cause I sure the fuck should have...
It wasn't looking to good for Tricky Dick either..
The Supreme Court rules unanimously that busing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation.
Anti-war militants attempt to disrupt government business's in Washington. Police and military units arrest as many as 12,000; most were later released.
The twenty-sixth ammendment to U.S. Constitution lowers the voting age to 18..about fucking time..I turned 21 8 days after the the Johnson/Goldberg election and couldn't vote..man was I pissed... The UN seats communist China and expels Nationalist China.
Congress bars use of combat troops, but not air power, in Laos and Cambodia. South Vietnamese troops, with U.S. air cover, fail in the thrust into Laos. In May American ground forces withdraw from Vietnam combat.
The New York Times publish Pentagon Papers, classified material about expansion of the war....
1971 didn't have as great of music as 1970 had, or at least that is my personal take on it..But, we did have 'You've Got a Friend' by James Taylor...'No Matter What'by Badfinger, and Joan Baez sang"The Night They Drove old Dixie Down." And who didn't wear 'Hot Pants' by James Brown, 'Love Her Madly' by the Doors along with 'Riders In the Storm.'
'Watching the River Flow'by Bob Dylan, 'Won't Get Fooled Again'by the Who and oh man oh man oh man...Janis Joplin belted, wailed and brought all fo us to our knees with 'Cry Baby'and 'Me and Bobby McGee.'...will never be another Janis..my favorite female singer..then now and ever..
'Imagine' by John Lennon, 'It's Too Late'by Carol King, 'Never Can Say Good-bye'by Jackson Five...(back when Michael Jackson was black)and 'Proud Mary' by Ike and Tina Turner.
Isaac Hayes had the theme song to the movie 'Shaft' and it was big...'Peace Train' by Cat Stevens..you remember Cat Stevens don'tcha?????hmmmmm?
'Maggie Mae' by Rod Stewart,'I'm 18' by Alice Cooper, 'Get it On' by T-Rex,'Knock 3 Times' by Tony Orlando and Dawn and 'Gypsy's Tramps and Thieves' by Cher.Paul and Linda McCartney had 'Uncle Albert(love that song)and Admiral Halsey. George Harrison had 'What is Life'and 'My Sweet Lord.'..3-Dog Night had nothing but 'Joy to the World', 'Hey Girl Don't Bother Me'by the Tams, 'One Bad Apple' by the Osmonds, 'Got To Be There'by Michael Jackson and 'Family Affairs'by Sly and the Family Stone.Donny Osmond was breaking teenage hearts with 'Go Away Litte Girl', 'How Can You Men A Broken Heart' by the Bee Gees, 'Brown Sugar, Bitch and Let it Rock'by the Rolling Stones.'Indian Reservation' by The Raider, and a song that still gets to me today...:'Draggin'the Line'...by Tommy James...
You've heard the expression..'the lull before the storm?'...well, that is 1971 for me...the storm is brewing on the horizon and like the schmuck that I am...I never see it coming...'Stairway to Heaven'was a great song by Led Zeppelin but I think Ringo Starr had the song for me that year...'It Don't Come Easy.'..............no shit Ringo...
somemore history for that year?....born in this year:
Kid Rock, Mary J. Bliege, Erykah Badu, Tupac Shakur, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg and Ricky Martin..But the deaths are the ones that make you really stop and think and remember....Jim Morrison,Louis Armstrong, Duane Allman and my first rock and roll crush....Gene Vincent....I would have worn your ring and been your's by Heck....

1970..DADDY TO THE RESCUE

...(Dec. 1969)David and Thom deplaned about 8pm at the Roswell, New Mexico airport...I circled for awhile and crashed about 30 minutes later...Hepatitis has a way of zapping you no matter how hard you try to be alert...Be alert I always say...the world needs more lerts...
You have to know that my Daddy was the Flight Chief at the airport that we had just landed at and when the 3 of us came tumbling off the plane I am sure that my Daddy wished he had bought us Grayhound tickets instead of airplane tickets..David and Thom were 5 and 3 1/2.They both were dressed in bell bottoms, turtle neck sweaters,cowboy boots and parka type coats..They both had hair down to the middle of their back with beaded head bands.. I had on a red turtle neck, red/black/white plaid bell bottoms, barefoot(carrying my apache style fringed boots)my naturally blond hair was dyed black, had it in braids with head band,rings on every finger and several toes, a belt of tiny bells around my waist, a fringed leather vest and dragging a full length fake fur coat behind me on the tarmack...Daddy took one look at us, walked up ..gave the boys long hard hugs, gave me 'the look' and said:"get in the car." Remeber folks this is the retired Master Sargent, new boss of the Airport...he da man...I think he was more upset with the long hair on the boys than the fact that his daughter looked like a cross between Cher and Pocahontas...We went home and I went to sleep and when I woke up the next morning the boys had military haircuts.(they were still crying, but Daddy had bought them each a string of lolly pops and they were so high on sugar they were bouncing off the walls....they had never had any candy before except for milk chocolate..so they thought their Grandpa was a pretty cool dude, except for this thing he had about long hair)
I won't go into any details of the ups and downs of recovery, getting well, getting a job, getting my own place and adjusting to life in New Mexico after Portland, Oregon cause it wasn't a bowl of cherries..I will say that my Daddy was the best...he was soooooo square....so out of touch..so not able to deal with me but did everything he could and bounced back after each little smack up side his head..Like sitting on the porch watching his grandsons play 'narks and heads'.....or sitting on the toilet while they took baths and sang their favorite song to him...'Marihuana, marihuana LSD,LSD, college kids make it, high school kids take it...why can't we...why can't we..."I thought Daddy was going to faint right on the spot..Poor Daddy, he would give me this long lecture on the evils of drugs...my responsiblities to me and my kids, changing my ways, yada yada yada....pop a valium and trot off to work..but we got through it...
and mean while..back at the White House ...Tricky Dicky and ole Spiro were in charge of the country....Yeah, that worked out so well...hell I thought I was the one fucked up, but even I couldn't fuck up as bad as them yahoo's...
The U.S. forces invaded Cambodia on May 1st..A Palestinian revolt erupted in Jordan. Forces loyal to King Hussein suppresssed the revolt and expelled the PLO from the country.
Earthquake in Peru kill 50,000. Egyptian President Nassar dies and is replaced by Anwar el-Sadat.
Four students at Kent State University in Ohio are slain by National Guards at demonstration, protesting the invasion into Cambodia.
The only redeeming part of 1970 is the rocking ass music..Still a little hippy shit, some goofy pop by the Jackson 5, and The Osmonds...
But now we are starting to rock and roll...we're starting to 'tighten up.'....get down, get groovy, get it on..faaaaar out...and outa' sight...Ok, lets get the pop shit out of the way first...we had the Jackson 5 with ABC, I Found That Girl, I Want You Back and I'll Be There.'They Long to be, Close to you and We've only Just Begun.'by the Carpenters.'Fancy' by Bobby Gentry,'Patches' by Clarence Carter and'A Little Bit of Soap' by Paul Davis.Eric Clapton sang 'After Midnight', Diana Ross said "Aint' No Mountain High Enough',and R.B. Greaves said'Always Something There To Remind Me.'oh, oh oh.....!! The Guess Who's 'American Woman,'And When I Die' by Blood Sweat and Tears...I think David Thomas has one of the greatest voices ever...'Are you Ready?' by Pacific Gas & Electric, 'Arizona,' by Mark Lindsay, 'Band Of Gold' by Freda Payne and one of my all time favorites then and now..'Black Magic Woman' by Santana..'Bridge over Troubled Water'by Simon and Garfunkle, 'Call Me' by Aretha, 'Candida' by Tony Orlando and Dawn,plus one of the greatest songs ever ever ever....'Closer to Home'by Grand Funk Railroad....damn I love that song..
'Come and Get It' by Badfinger,Neil Diamond had 'Cracklin Rosie', Joe Cocker wanted to 'Cry Me A River.'Who could forget 'Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time'by the Delfonics.
Van Morrison sang about 'Domino' and 4 Flights Up sang 'Do What You Wanna Do.'....CCR rocked the house with a bunch of songs...'Up Around The Bend, Down On the Corner, Looking out My Back Door and Who'll Stop the Rain......damn I love CCR...Simon and Garfunkle sang such a great song'El Condor Pasa'....'Woodstock, Treat Your Children Well,and Ohio by Crosby Stills Nash and Young.Can you get any better? TAKE THAT, YOUR HIP HOP RAPPING ASSHOLES...And can you belive....that's not the half of them?....'See Me Feel Me' by the Who, The Nity Grity Dirt Band sang the hell out of Jerry Jeff Walker's song 'MR. Bojangles'...I saw Jerry Jeff in Austin one time knock the shit out of a cowboy who kept razzing him about how he spent the $50 he got for that song...Like Willie Nelson who sold Family Bible, and Night Life for $50 each..song writers were so poor they sold their songs for what ever they could get...It doesn't bother Willie, but it sure does piss ole Jerry Jeff off...
'One Less Bell To Answer' by the 5th Dimension,'My Sweet Lord' by George Harrison, 'Ride Captain Ride' by Blues Image, 'Na Na-Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' by Stream and another favorite of mine 'No Time' by the Guess Who.oooooooohoooooh, and 'Ohhh Child' by the 5 Stairsteps...love that song..
Three Dog Night had'Out in the Country,Eli's Coming,and Mama Told Me Not To Go' ....I have a special place in my heart for 3 Dog Night...my best friend Roxie and I were working one night at the Palm Garden and they were playing some place in the city (PORTLAND) and they came in to see our band, which was an absolutely excellent band, they went on to play Vegas(they did a show bedsides just playing)a lot...( I actually saw them in Vegas and dammd if they didn't remember me..actually when they saw me...they all started in saying'those tits, those legs that smile..it's gotta be.....'JackieBaby'..)(my nickname)Made me feel pretty fucking good..ha..anyhow...2 of the 3 dogs came in...stayed till closing then the 2 'stars'of our band, Roxie,me and the 2 dogs went out and partied...oh my goodness....drugs and rock and roll...sorry ya'll, but no sex...hard to have sex with someone when he is counting your freckles and your discovering a planet on his forhead...ahh, the good ole days....
'Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours' by Stevie Wonder,"Somethings Burning' by Kenny Rogers and the 1St Edition, and another favorite of mine'Spirit In The Sky'by Norman Greenbaum, 'Sugar Sugar' by Wilson Pickett, 'Up On Cripple Creek' by The Band,'War' by Edwin Starr, and 'The Wonder of You' by ole Elvis.....'The Thrill is Gone' by B.B. King, 'The Rapper' by Jaggerz, 'The Letter' by Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, and oh mymymy.......'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zeppelin....hooboy...'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window' by Joe Cocker,'Everybody's Out of Town' by B.J.Thomas.Santana's 'Evil Ways'....'Evil Woman Don't Play your Game With Me' by Crow...'Get Ready' by Rare Earth,'Give Me Just A Little Bit More Time' by Chairman of the Board and 'Green-eyed Lady' by Sugarloaf...James Taylor sang about'Fire and Rain'(I love that song....alot)'Gypsy Woman' by Brian Hyland, 'Hey Lawdy, MaMa' by steppenwolf, 'Make me Smile' by Chicago and Neil Diamonds 'Shilo and Solitary Man'..Yes, boys and girls ...there is still more...'Hey There Lonely Girl'by Eddie Holdman,'Hitching a Ride' by Vanity Fair, 'If I Could Read Your Mind' by Gordon Lightfoot and...'Iron Maiden' by Black Sabbath...'It Don't Matter To Me' by George Harrison, 'Ma Belle Amie' by the Tee Set(love that song)..'Kentucky Rain' by Elvis, 'Knock 3 Times' by Tony Orlando and Dawn, and a song that has a special place in my heart when I left all my friends in Portland to fly to New Mexico...'Leaving on a Jet Plane' by Peter, Paul and Mary..The Beatles had a bunch of hits..'Let it Be, and Long and Winding Road,'and another rock and rock special...'Lola' by the Kinks....'Lonely Days' by the Bee Gees, 'Love Goes Where My Rosemary Goes' by Edison Lighthouse, 'Love the one Your With' by Stephen Sills and last but not least..................'Lucretia MacEvil' by Blood Sweat And Tears.....
Im on a slippery slope....but I have my boys and I have my Daddy.....
love ...peace...and harmony grits...