You've already decided the process.

People ask me if I left the lyrics open to ambiguity. Of course I did. I wanted to make a whole series of complex statements. The lyrics had to do with the state of society at the time.

In a sense, 'American Pie' was a very despairing song but it can also be seen as very hopeful.

I met a girl who sang the blues, And I asked her for some happy news; But she just smiled and turned away

The Day the Music Died

'American Pie' was part of my process of self-awakening; a mystical trip into my past.