Broken Man’s Lament Emmylou Harris

[Verse]
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
Though I'm not quite in a shell
I drink and listen to that song
"A Whiter Shade of Pale"
Oh, a whiter shade of pale

[Verse]
I was a good shade tree mechanic
So I sent myself to school
They smoothed out my rough edges
In my hands they put new tools
The instructor once he told me
I could work on any line
I could tune and make a diesel sing
Just like Patsy Cline
Oh, just like Patsy Cline

[Verse]
Well, I met my wife-to-be
Through my mother's best friend's son
She'd been a barroom singer
She was as good as anyone
But I asked her to stop singing
And the girl she did not flinch
Next day she went and bought that man
A brand new crescent wrench
Oh, a brand new crescent wrench