"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"

Don McLean's quote talks to the complexity of his songwriting. He wished to make a statement about the state of society at the time, but he likewise wanted to leave the lyrics open up to interpretation. He wanted to produce a series of complicated statements that might be translated in various methods. By leaving the lyrics open to uncertainty, he was able to produce a tune that might be analyzed in a range of ways. He wanted to make a statement about the state of society at the time, however he also wished to leave the lyrics available to analysis so that individuals might draw their own conclusions. He wanted to produce a song that could be translated in a range of ways, and by leaving the lyrics open up to uncertainty, he had the ability to do just that.