I see my wife working, ironin' my shirts
And my mind goes to another day
And to another woman who might have been my wife
If things hadn't turned out this way

Lord knows I love her but I often wonder
If fate should pull back the blind
How would my wife feel if she could see
The woman in the back of my mind?

Does she do things fancy, does she have a family?
Is she as happy as I?
Does she spend her afternoons just playing bridge
Or baking her children a pie?

And I often wonder if she thinks of me
When she hears those old church bell's chime
Though it's been long ago at times I miss her so
The woman in the back of my mind

Suddenly I come back to right here and now
And the dream that I've seen come to life
And I hope she's as happy with somebody else
As I am with my loving wife

I might have been wrong but it's been so long
And things work out in time
But I'd like to say I'm sorry some day
To the woman in the back of my mind