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
 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
 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
 ♪
 Well, I met my wife to be
 Through my mother's best friend 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
 Well, we had three fine children
 As eight years went on by
 I learned to supervise a line
 My knuckles stayed bone dry
 But after supper, I kept hearing her
 By the kitchen radio
 Singing sweet but desperate harmony
 A little bit too low
 Oh, a little bit too low
 ♪
 She left three months later
 I'd just come home for lunch
 The note said, "Easy come, hard go
 But still love you so much"
 She said, "I don't know if I'll be back
 Or if you'll want me if I come
 But if and when that happens, dear
 You better let my sweet dream run
 Oh, let my sweet dream run"
 ♪
 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
 But now a diesel ain't the only thing
 Can sing like Patsy Cline
 Oh, can sing 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
 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
 Oh, a whiter shade of pale
 Oh, a whiter shade of pale