A Little Lie

Grandma always told me to tell God's honest truth She said "Give it to 'em straight, be plain, and be frank, always be true blue" But then she leaned in real close and looked me in the eye "Sometimes," she said real soft, "you can tell a little lie" She said it's good to be honest but when you get in a rut Sometimes, honey, most of it is good enough And a tiny little lie ain't never hurt no one And when you get down to it there's really no harm done Well you came home late last night with a twinkle in your eye Lipstick on your collar, you smelled of cheap perfume and rye I asked you where you'd been and what you had to hide You said "aw hey baby, I was workin' late" and you told a little lie The very next day at the hardware store I stopped to look around I saw axes and picks, shovels and grips and my wheels started spinning' round The clerk made conversation as he rang me up to buy I said, "this'll do nicely for that big ol' rat" and I told a little lie She said it's good to be honest but when you get in a rut Sometimes, honey, most of it is good enough And a tiny little lie ain't never hurt no one And when you get down to it there's really no harm done You stumbled through the door lookin' like the night before, but I kissed you on your cheek I said "I made you somethin' special now come sit down to eat" You said, "This tastes might fine. Did you add some sugar or spice?" Just a pinch of this, and a little of that, and I told a little lie On Sunday in the churchyard, we laid you in the ground I left a note to tell her you won't be coming' round And when they lowered you in your grave I did my best to cry A tiny little tear trickled down my cheek and I told a little lie She said it's good to be honest but when you get in a rut Sometimes, honey, most of it is good enough And a tiny little lie ain't never hurt no one And when you get down to it there's really no harm done