[Verse 1] He wore a clean white smile And a rented black coat Knocked on widow doors With a velvet-lined hope Said, "This ring means forever" Said, "This stone means truth" But the diamond was plastic And the box smelled like glue [Pre-Chorus] He learned to count the tears By the clasp and the chain The loneliest hearts Paid best for the pain [Chorus] Dime-Store Diamond He sold that shine Dime-Store Diamond One lie at a time Dime-Store Diamond Till the whole truth hit He was reaching for a hand That knew his mother's grip [Verse 2] Mrs. Vale had blue ink On a grocery list hand Kept her husband's watch In a biscuit tin can She laughed at his stories Let him pour her tea Then she said that old nickname And he couldn't breathe [Pre-Chorus] She said, "Your mama sang At the church on Pine" He saw the kitchen light From a different time [Chorus] Dime-Store Diamond He sold that shine Dime-Store Diamond One lie at a time Dime-Store Diamond Till the whole truth hit He was reaching for a hand That knew his mother's grip [Instrumental Solo] [Bridge] He had her ring in his palm But his palm went cold She knew his father's limp And his boyhood mold He tried to run the room Tried to make it all neat But the past stood up And took the empty seat [Final Chorus] Dime-Store Diamond He sold that shine Dime-Store Diamond One lie at a time Dime-Store Diamond Now he can't forget That the one he tried to swindle Was his last clean debt
