Broken Man's Lament - Emmylou Harris

I was once a broken man
I was once a broken fool
Lost my wife and children
To one basic broken rule
Now I live my life in silence
Tho' I'm not quite in a shell
Drink and listen to that song
A whiter shade of pale
A whiter shade of pale

I was good shad tree mechanic
So I send myself to school
They smoothed off my rough edges
In my hands they put new tools
The instructor once he told me
I could work on any line
I could tend and make any diesel sing
Just like Patsy Cline
Just like Patsy Cline

Well I met my wife to be
Through my mother's best friend's son
She had been a bar room singer
She was as good as anyone
But I ask her to stop singing
And the girl she did not flinch
Next day she went and bought that man
A brand new crescent wrench, ohh
A brand new crescent wrench

We had three fine children
As eight years went on by
And earned a silver visor
The knuckles stayed bone dry
But after supper I kept hearin' her
By the kitchen radio
Singing sweet but desperate harmony
A little bit to low, ohhh
A little bit to low

She left three months later
I'd just come home for lunch
Note said "easy come, hard go"
I still love you so much
She said I don't know if I'll be there
Or if you'll want me when I come
But if and when that Abbott steer
You better
Let my sweet dream run, ohhh
Let my sweet dream run

Ohhhh...ohhh...ohhh...ohhh

I was good shad tree mechanic
So I send myself to school
They smoothed off my rough edges
In my hands they put new tools
The instructor once he told me
I could work on any line
But now the diesels aren't the only thing that sing
Just like Patsy Cline
Just like Patsy Cline

I was once a broken man
I was once a broken fool
Lost my wife and children
To one basic broken rule
Now I live my life in silence
Tho' I'm not quite in a shell
Drink and listen to that song
A whiter shade of pale
A whiter shade of pale
A whiter shade of pale
A whiter shade of pale