[Verse 1: John Hiatt]
Just a one more kiss he'll have to miss this night with you
Now you're guilty of this secret love as I am too
You'll get used to telling lies and feeling sorry when he cries
Now that the strings are attached he'll catch on, we've done our part
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart

[Verse 2: Rosanne Cash]
Lesson number one we've just begun to hurt him so
And with lesson two I'll long for you when lights are low
And we get to lesson three when he gets down on his knees
Begs me to stop at the door just before he comes apart
This is the way we make a broken heart

[Bridge: John Hiatt, Rosanne Cash]
Now we laid a trail of tears for him to follow
And we've thought of every line that he might swallow

[Verse 3: Rosanne Cash, John Hiatt]
And with lesson four there'll be no more for him to bear
And on some dark night we'll dim the lights on this affair
And he'll find somebody new, and she'll likely hurt him too
'Cause there must be millions just like you and me practiced in the art
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
La la la la la la la this is the way we make a broken heart
Yeah this is the way we make a broken heart
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah this it the way we make a broken heart