Miss American Pie
Wed, 12 Jun 2024
Music, Religion, Non-serious
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In Scott Alexander's boom `Unsong' [1], one of the protagonists
gives an insightful analysis of the song ``American Pie'' and
its relation to ``Christian soteriology’s claim to supersede the
Jewish conception of divine law''.

While Alexander, through the proxy of a fiction character,
provides an important addition to our understating of this
ancient work, his analysis is ultimately left somewhat wanting.
While the concept of Christian law superseding the law of the
old testament is an obvious core theme, the work as a whole
relates the histological development of Christianity as a
religion.

Our story starts in the garden of Eden

	Well, I know that you're in love with him
	'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym

As Alexander already pointed out, `gym' is the Greek word for
`naked'. This is a reference to Adam and Eve `dancing' naked in
the garden. Now, according to Alexander, `dance' refers to
divine judgement though the Hebrew `dan'. However, we should not
understand this line as Adam and Eve dealing out divine
judgement in the nude. Rather, to dance (in the context of this
work) refers to the following of God's commandment (his
judgement). This is shown to us in the opening stanza:

	And I knew if I had my chance
	That I could make those people dance
	And maybe they'd be happy for a while	

The refrain shows us Israel before the arrival of Jesus.

	Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry

`Shevet' is the Hebrew word for tribe, and `levee' is therefore
indicative of the tribe of Levi who constituted the Jewish
priesthood. The tribe is found to be `dry', they were too
obsessed with law and thereby lost true faith. This is
contrasted by new testament writings such as John 7

	Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in
	me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, `Rivers
	of living water will flow from the heart of anyone who
	believes in me.'

We are also told in the very next line that

	And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye

`Whiskey' comes from the Irish ``water of life''. The fact that
the ``good ole boys'' were still drinking this means that Israel
has not gone completely off course. Notable characters who still
held true faith were of course Jesus' mother Mary, and his
cousin John the baptist.

Now we get to the arrival of Jesus, and the song quickly moves
on to his death. Jesus is the `music', as pointed out by
Alexander, the first three letters of `song' spell `son', but we
also have lines like these:

	Now do you believe in rock and roll?
	Can music save your mortal soul?

The belief in `rock and roll' is the rolling away of the boulder
from Jesus' tomb, signifying his resurrection. This is one of
the most core beliefs of Christians, and the is heavily
contested by other faiths which believe in Jesus as a prophet,
but not as God. Hence the next line: can Jesus save our soul?

But Jesus is not just called `music' he is also the jester, the
one who sings (therefore begetting the song), and later also
`the voice' this is indicative of the trinity.

	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

We are told how God took away the sins of the world in a line
that also references the crown of thorns worn by Jesus before
his crucifixion. The coat is a reference to Jesus immaculate
coat which he wore on the cross and which was looted from him
shortly after his death. James Dean refers to Jesus' brother
James the Just, as Dean comes from the Hebrew `din' as mentioned
earlier.

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

This also refers to the fact that Jesus was called ``King of the
Jews'', but also that he is not the Messiah the Jewish people
expected. He was in fact not a conquering king here to establish
a Jewish state, hence he `stole' the crown.

When Jesus dies on the cross, the sins of the world are
forgiven, paid for by the blood of one free of sin.

	The courtroom was adjourned
	No verdict was returned

However, the Apostles were distraught at Jesus' death at first.
They thought their teacher and messiah had died, and they did
not have faith in his resurrection. They though the devil had
won, working through the Jews and Romans.

	I saw Satan laughing with delight
	The day the music died

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The majority of the remaining stanzas are dedicated to the
development of Christianity after Jesus' death:

	Now for ten years we've been on our own
	And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone

Jesus has resurrected and we are now some time after his death,
Christians are uniting and canonizing the Bible. There is one
faith meant for all people, Jews and Pharisees alike (in the
strictest sense of the world, this is a catholic faith).

	Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
	While the sergeants played a marching tune
	We all got up to dance
	Oh, but we never got the chance

This period is referred as the halftime, because our story is
far from over, in fact, it is only halfway done. ``Sweet
perfume'' may be a reference to Mary's anointing of Jesus' feet
with perfume in John 12:3. The people were ready for the day of
judgement to come, they git up to dance (to be judged), but they
never got the chance because the story is not done, the people
are not united in the true faith of Jesus, rather, they have
once again lost their way.

	'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?

The players, common everyday believers tried to take the field,
but the marching band (the church establishment) didn't let
them. This is a reference to the protestant reformists wanting
to take biblical reading and contemplation to the common people,
and sermons in local languages.

The day Jesus died, the temple veil was torn, this is where God
reportedly resided, his face must remain unseen because gazing
upon it would spell death for any person not free from sin. But
when Jesus died, the face of God was revealed (it was the face
of Jesus), and all could gaze upon it because all sins were
forgiven. Thus, the face of God was no longer reserved for the
highest priest (who could occasionally journey behind the veil
to either emerge proven pure, or die trying), rather he could be
seen by anyone.

The reformists therefore want religion to belong to all the
players, not just to the marching band.

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Now we come to the discussion of the end times. The time when
Jesus will return to earth to judge everyone. Before this
happens however, there will be many fake prophets and people
promising salvation.

	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

When judged by Jesus, there is no going back. According to the
Bible (at least to most common interpretations I am familiar
with), Jesus' return is the last chance to accept him. The
protagonist of American Pie seemingly does not do so, and is
thus left without music.

	I met a girl who sang the blues
	And I asked her for some happy news [gospel]
	But she just smiled and turned away
	I went down to the sacred store [Jerusalem]
	Where I'd heard the music years before
	But the man there said the music wouldn't play

In the following stanza, we are described the people who do make
it into the kingdom of heaven, the great city described in the
bible.

	And in the streets, the children screamed
	The lovers cried and the poets dreamed

Jesus tells his followers that they must become like children in
Mathew 18:3, that they must love the lord with all their heart
in Mathew 22:37, and Jesus teaches us how to pray in the Gospels
as well, proclaiming the glory of God like poets. These are the
people who make their way into heaven.

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

In this city, the people won't be called to church because God
will be amongst them. He will come to your house, not you to
his.

The song concludes with the departure of the tripartite God to
the kingdom, letting the meet inherit the earth.

	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

Importantly, this all happened ``the day the music died'', in
other words, as soon as the sins of the world were taken away,
the story was decided. Now we are just waiting for it to play
out the way it was meant to.


[1]: Accessible for free on the web at unsongbook.com