Broken Man's Lament Lyrics - All I Intended To Be - 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 

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 

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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 

Photos 

She left three months later 

I'd just come home for lunch 

The note said easy come hard go 

But still love you 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