Don McLean Is Auctioning Off His Handwritten “American Pie” Lyrics

Don McLean is auctioning off the original, handwritten lyrics to his super long 1971 song "American Pie" because he needs the money.

He says, "I'm going to be 70 this year. I have two children and a wife, and none of them seem to have the mercantile instinct. I want to get the best deal that I can for them. It's time."

The auction house estimates the lyrics could go for up to $1.5 million. They're written on a 16-page document that's never been seen publicly before. It features, "237 lines of manuscript, and 26 lines of typed text."

The auction is scheduled to go down on April 7th. And this is just the beginning.

Don says, "I'm going to rid myself of a lot of stuff. In a year or two, I'm going to have a big auction with guitars, clothes, boots, saddles, silver and watches. I collect a lot of stuff. It's time to let other people have it."

Read more at Rolling Stone.