"Rita Wrote A Letter" lyrics

I really don't know how I'm talking
Six feet down and under the clay
The laws of nature forbid it
But I was never good with rules anyway
The day I walked out of prison
I knew that I was still in stir
For the crime committed I was still doing time
Behind the walls between me and her

Rita wrote a letter
I keep it with me every day
Rita wrote a letter
And this is what she had to say
She said, 'Joe I'm really sorry
But me and Dan, our love is here to stay
With the kids it's getting better
And now a little baby's on the way'

Well, they took me back on at the restaurant
But the new cook there had stolen my game
They put me on the dishes and the pots and pans
I was happy being busy again
And every night when I came home
With my back and feet all aching sore
I'd lay there in Mary's spare room
Tossing 'til the break of dawn

Oh, Rita wrote a letter
One you don't want to get from your wife
When Rita writes a letter
The pen is sharper than the knife
She said, 'Joe, I gave you good chances
But half a year turned into two
You could never hold your temper
And you always made it all about you'

Oh, the phone calls they started to dwindle
Once they moved further up the coast
Those silences that dragged on forever
I couldn't find the words I needed the most
One day I went to see an old friend
And I brought a little package home
For old times' sake sweet oblivion
But some things you shouldn't do alone

Yeah, Rita wrote a letter
I'm still hugging it under the clay
Rita wrote a letter
Deep down I know it's better this way
And maybe she and Dan feel guilty
And the children sometimes cry at night
But I made my bed, I'm lying in it
And I know they're gonna be alright

Yeah, Rita wrote a letter
I will always love her
Be the ghost above her
Hover all around her
But Dan, I don't forgive you
Oh, I didn't mean to say that
It's just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter