Don McLean's original America Pie manuscript sold at auction for $1.2m - finally revealing the meaning of iconic lyrics - The Mirror

The meaning of the iconic lyrics has been revealed as they were put up for auction

Don McLean's original lyrics for American Pie have been sold for $1.2 million at auction.

The singer-songwriter's manuscript and notes for the iconic song will reveal the true meaning behind the words after fetching a huge price.

The 16 pages were sold by auction house Christie's, who had billed them as 'revealing the creative process from beginning to end' for the 1972 classic hit.

It is a big moment for music lovers as the song - best known for the line 'the day the music died' - has been pored over for generations as fans and critics examine the hidden meanings behind the lyrics.

Although that line was always known to refer to the February 3 1959 deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash, other lyrics have proved more cryptic.

McLean had said 16 pages of notes which have been stashed away in a box at his home in Maine, US, will reveal the answers fans have been longing to know.

Other lines containing questions and scattergun cultural references - including 'what was revealed the day the music died?' - are expected to be delved into in detail by the notes.

In an interview for the auction house, McLean, 69, said: "Basically in American Pie things are heading in the wrong direction.

"It is becoming less idyllic. I don't know whether you consider that wrong or right but it is a morality song in a sense."

He has previously always avoided answering questions about the song's meaning other than to say - "it means I never have to work again."