Broken Man's Lament

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