A long long time ago
But I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With each paper I delivered
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
And I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

February 3, 1958 was "The Day the Music Died," when the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. "Big Bopper" Richardson crashed in a field in Iowa. That day would be a marker for the older members of my generation.