Slice of America[n Pie]

The song American Pie by Don McLean, although references God, does not actual claim the theory of God as truth. He uses it more as a basis for listeners to relate to, because it is a concept that they would all be familiar with, whether they believe it or not. He mocks the idea of God in his lines "And do you have faith in God above/ If the Bible tells you so?" He also reveals the absence of God when he states that "The father, son, and the holy ghost,/ They caught the last train for the coast." There is no God in control of the universe presented in American Pie. For Humanity and Identity, humans are regarded as material, not spiritual. We live, and we die. There is nothing more. Music is what sustains our lives, portrayed through the sorrow of the "good old boys" singing "this'll be the day that I die," once music has left. All conflict and suffering began with the death of music. It does not mention any flaws before music had left, but gives the idea that everything was perfect before. Again, this is revealed through the lines "The day that music died...This'll be the day that I die." There is no hope and redemption for mankind now that music has taken a vacation. Comparing faith in God (which he mocks) with "music sav[ing] your mortal soul," he shows the hopelessness in life. There is no salvation. What you see is as good as it can get. There aren't really any values emphasized in this piece of music. Party until the end is a better way of describing the mindset in this song. Once music had died, and they thought the world was over, they drank away their blues. ("Drinkin' whiskey and rye") Party until the lights go out, basically. Finally, the only truth present in this piece that I could find is that music is essential to life. Without it, there is no meaning. "But I knew I was out of luck/ The day the music died." American Pie is written from the Secular Humanist standpoint. God is a mere reference, not an actual being. Life has no meaning, other than the immediate results of our efforts. Therefore, as far as I can tell, this piece is atheistic and relates a shallow existence.