Chorus 1 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 Chorus 2A 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’s son She’d been a barroom singer She was as good as any-one 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 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" Chorus 2B 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 my diesels aren’t the only thing That sing like Patsy Cline Oh just like Patsy Cline Chorus 1 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