Broken Man's Lament
Emmylou Harris Lyrics

I was once a broken man
The singer was weak and hopeless in the past

I was once a broken fool
The singer was foolish and helpless in the past

Lost my wife and children
The family of the singer was gone

To one basic broken rule
The reason for the artist's loss was a simple but fatal mistake

Now I live my life in silence
The artist is now living a quiet and lonely life

Tho' I'm not quite in a shell
The singer is not completely isolated from society

Drink and listen to that song
The singer tries to soothe himself with alcohol and music

A whiter shade of pale
The song he listens to is 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'

I was good shad tree mechanic
The artist had a talent for fixing cars

So I send myself to school
The artist educates himself to improve his skills

They smoothed off my rough edges
The school helped him to become a better person

In my hands they put new tools
The school provided the artist with better equipment

The instructor once he told me
The singer recalls what he learned from his teacher

I could work on any line
The singer became skilled at repairing any type of car

I could tend and make any diesel sing
The singer was able to fix and make diesel engines run smoothly

Just like Patsy Cline
The artist was as skilled at car repairing as Patsy Cline was at singing

Well I met my wife to be
The artist met his future wife

Through my mother's best friend's son
The singer's girlfriend was introduced by his mother's friend's son

She had been a bar room singer
The singer's girlfriend used to sing at bars

She was as good as anyone
The artist thought his girlfriend was very talented

But I ask her to stop singing
The artist asked his girlfriend to give up her singing career

And the girl she did not flinch
His girlfriend didn't hesitate to stop singing

Next day she went and bought that man
The next day, the girlfriend bought a new tool for the singer

A brand new crescent wrench, ohh
She bought a crescent wrench for him

We had three fine children
The couple had three children together

As eight years went on by
The family had a good life for eight years

And earned a silver visor
The singer probably got promoted at his job

The knuckles stayed bone dry
He didn't have to work very hard physically anymore

But after supper I kept hearin' her
The artist's wife secretly sang after dinner

By the kitchen radio
She sang while listening to the radio in the kitchen

Singing sweet but desperate harmony
Her singing was beautiful but also a little sad

A little bit to low, ohhh
She sang quietly because she didn't want anyone to hear her

She left three months later
The wife left the artist and their children

I'd just come home for lunch
The artist came home for lunch and found a note from his wife

Note said 'easy come, hard go'
The note was a phrase meaning that good things come and go quickly

I still love you so much
The artist still loved his wife very much

She said I don't know if I'll be there
The wife was unsure whether she would return

Or if you'll want me when I come
She was also unsure if the singer would take her back

But if and when that Abbott steer
The wife gave a 'what if' scenario about an animal

You better let my sweet dream run, ohhh
She implies that he should let her pursue her dreams if she ever came back

Ohhhh...ohhh...ohhh...ohhh
Lines of the song being played in the background

The diesels aren't the only thing that sing
The singer realizes that he can now appreciate music, not just engine sounds

I was once a broken man
The singer repeats the opening line, highlighting that he still feels broken

I was once a broken fool
The artist also repeats this line, emphasizing his own foolishness in the past

A whiter shade of pale
The song the artist is listening to is repeated again for emphasis