R. I. P.

50 years ago today...

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.

---Don McLean, "American Pie"