On The Song American Pie, What Does The Word Levy Means?

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HomeQ&AOn the song American Pie, what does the word levy means?On the song American Pie, what does the word levy means?1vote

What does Don Maclean means by levy on his song,"American Pie".................... Drove my Chevy to the Levy, but the levy was dry? what is the exact meaning of levy?

thanks

82509 viewsupdated Nov 30, 2011posted by 00769608and good old boys were drinking wiskey and rye.... - steveduck2345, Nov 30, 2011

15 Answers

7votes

A levee is simply a man-made embankment built to keep a river from overflowing its banks or to prevent ocean waves from washing into undesired areas.

source

updated Nov 30, 2011posted by IssabelaIt's levy - 00b83c38, Oct 2, 2009I've read the lyrics in several places and it's leevy. - Issabela, Oct 2, 2009Right Izabela - but I think it "sounds" like "levy". - ian-hill, Oct 2, 2009Keep reading - I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry ... this is certainly nothing to do with taxes but with water overflowing. - Lector_Constante, Nov 28, 20115votes

Izabela has it correct. Levees are very common next to the Mississipi River as the water level for the river is higher than the land in some places. When the hurricane hit that area a few years ago, the levees were unable to contain the water and lower Mississipi and especially New Orleans were innundated with water.

updated Nov 30, 2011posted by quépasa2votes

I got a Chevy as my avatar, but I'm surely not driving it towards a levy that's dry.

updated Nov 30, 2011posted by DeanskiGood one! - Nicole-B, Oct 16, 2009;)) I don't think the song writer intended to, either! - territurtle, Nov 30, 20112votes

I guess you could try songfacts.com

I'm not sure how much of what is written there is fact and how much is fiction (or opinion) but there are a couple of entries stating that "The Levee" was the name of a bar.

On his own website Don McLean is quoted as saying "[The lyrics] are beyond analysis. They’re poetry".

updated Nov 30, 2011edited by RandyBrewerposted by RandyBrewer2votes

I have to go with Izabela. I think it should be "levee" and not "levy".

A side note: does anyone else think that this song goes on -- and on -- and on -- and on? But it is a classic and has stood the test of time.

updated Nov 30, 2011posted by Daniellevee is what makes sense in the context but it is spelled levy and if you read the link I gave Gus it expresses more the idea of levy than levee. - 00b83c38, Oct 2, 2009And how do you know that all the sites where they say "leevy" have the incorrect version? Especially if: 1) most of them says "leevy", 2) it makes sense. - Issabela, Oct 2, 2009I'm talking about the explanation the article gives. it leans more towards the idea of levy than levee. - 00b83c38, Oct 2, 20091vote

"The Levee" was a bar on North Avenue in New Rochelle, NY, which is now called "Beachmont Tavern." The story is told that this bar was a hangout for Don McLean when he was a student at Iona Prep school in New Rochelle. "The Levee was dry" may refer to one of the many occasions when the Levee lost its liquor licence due to inadequate enforcement of liquor laws.

The "sacred store" was the House of Music in New Rochelle, and "the man there" who "said the music wouldn't play" was the proprietor, Mr. Fink.

updated Nov 30, 2011edited by Karajanposted by Karajan1vote

If anyone is interested, here is an interesting interpretation of this song.

American Pie Interpretation

And here is another about the connection of the song to Buddy Holly that tends to lend credence to the first link

Don Mclean/Buddy Holly

After reading both of these, I would tend to agree that levee is used metaphorically and by saying that the levee was dry, Don Mclean is lamenting the loss of his idol and the source of his musical inspiration (just like the levee was where one would find water). The water drying up is a comment on how he feels about his inspiration being gone following the death of Buddy Holly.

updated Nov 30, 2011edited by Izanoni1posted by Izanoni11vote

The song came first.

updated Nov 30, 2011posted by IssabelaIs the song like the movies are? Wild! :-) - eric_collins, Oct 17, 20091vote

I thought "American Pie" was a movie?

updated Nov 30, 2011posted by eric_collinsMuch, much later. - Gekkosan, Nov 28, 20111vote

the lev i is a bar in levitown NY on long island, so there

updated Nov 30, 2011posted by akaabg281vote

It sounds like "levy" because it has to rhyme with "Chevy" but this "levee" in the song means a "drinking place" - whisky and rye

updated Nov 30, 2011edited by ian-hillposted by ian-hillThe song does not use a capital "L" in levee. - Daniel, Oct 2, 2009I know it doesn't - so what? - if you will excuse the question. - ian-hill, Oct 2, 2009I just made it into a lower case one - hope you are happy. - ian-hill, Oct 2, 2009They just want to argue. - 00b83c38, Oct 2, 2009In standard Ameerican, "levy" and "levee" are pronounced the same. - samdie, Oct 2, 2009And the Americans say they sorted out all those idiosyncrasies that the English created.! - ian-hill, Oct 2, 20091vote

Here are the lyrics from the web (note "levee"):

So bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

updated Nov 30, 2011posted by Daniel1vote

Levy--- tax, duty,charge, toil, tariff, charge

updated Oct 16, 2009posted by 00b83c38That is what "levy" means but it makes no sense to speak of "driving to the levy" anymore than "I walked to the sales tax." - samdie, Oct 2, 2009Possibly not, but I absolutely LOVE the idea of walking to the sales tax. What a great poetic image! gracias! - miloszdom, Oct 16, 20091vote

I think it has something to do with funds, revenue or taxes. Check this out amybe you can figure it out.

link text

updated Oct 2, 2009posted by 00b83c380votes

Here is a news clip from the flooding and it mentions "leeves"

New Orleons Floods

updated Oct 16, 2009posted by Eddylevee - Izanoni1, Oct 16, 2009I think that that is the kind of levee that is referred to in the song, but I think that the levee going dry is used as a metaphor and not meant to be taken literally. - Izanoni1, Oct 16, 2009🚀 Remove adsSpanishDictionary.com is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website.FEATURESTranslationConjugationVocabularyLearn SpanishGrammarWord of the DayABOUTAbout UsPrivacyTermsSite MapHelpContact UsSOCIAL NETWORKSFacebookXXInstagramAPPSAppleiOSAndroidAndroid IXL learning logo