Don McLean

VERSE 1
Starry starry ^G night, paint your palette ^Am blue and grey,
look out on a ^C summer's day with
^D7 eyes that know the darkness in my ^G soul.
Shadows on the ^G hills, sketch the trees and the ^Am daffodills
catch the breeeze and the ^C winter chills, in
^D7 colors on the snowy linen ^G land. ^{Am Bm Am G}
CHORUS
Now I under ^Am stand, ^D7 what you tried to ^G say to me,
^Em how you suffered for your ^Am7 sanity,
^D7 how you tried to set them ^Em free -
They would not listen they did ^A7 not know ^Am7 how,
^D7 perhaps they'll listen ^G now.
VERSE 2
Starry starry ^G night, flaming flowers that ^Am brightly blaze,
swirling clouds in ^C violet haze
^D7 reflect in Vincent's eyes of china ^G blue.
Colors changing ^G hue, morning fields of amber ^Am grain,
weathered faces ^C lined in pain are
^D7 soothed beneath the artists' loving ^G hand.
REPEAT CHORUS
BRIDGE
^G For they could not ^Am7 love you,
^D7 but still your love was ^G true, ^{G/F# E}
and when no ^Am7 hope was left in sight
on that ^Cm starry starry night
you ^G took your life as ^F7 lovers often ^E7 do.
But I ^Am7 could have told you Vincent,
this ^C world was never meant for one as ^D7 beautiful as you.
VERSE 3
Starry starry ^G night, portraits hung in ^Am empty halls,
frameless heads on ^C nameless walls with
^D7 eyes that watch the world and can't for ^G get.
Like the strangers that you've ^G met,
the ragged men in ^Am ragged clothes,
the silver thorn of ^C bloody rose lie
^D7 crushed and broken on the virgin ^G snow.
CHORUS B
Now I ^Am think I know, ^D7 what you tried to ^G say to me,
^Em how you suffered for your ^Am7 sanity,
^D7 how you tried to set them ^Em free -
They would not listen, they're ^A7 not listening ^Am7 still,
^D7 perhaps they never ^G will.