(George Jones - Dick Overbey)

I lead a rich rewarding life, a wife, a home, a car
But generally you can find me down in some dim lit bar
I hold all the pleasures of the world, this fact I can't deny
But I'm living, yes, I'm living in the shadow of a lie.

My wife's first husband and myself were on a fishin' trip
He was in our rowboat, me on shore, when I saw my partner slip
A hellish thing took hold of me and I delayed my rescue dash
Still I knew my lover husband had finally breathed his last.

I took his body back to town and restrained a happy smile
When they said there'd be a hearin', wouldn't even be a trial
That a fine upstanding citizen like me could do no wrong
And the walls between me and my love would finally soon be gone.

Now just when my world glows brightest and warm thoughts run through my head
A chilling darkness hovers like a demon over head
And sometimes the guilt inside me reigns so strong I hope to die
For I'm living, is it living, in the shadow of a lie...