It's quiet as ghosts, 6 am
there's a new temp in the mailroom, amy lynn
a weary woman of 23
I look at her and she looks at me
I look at her and she looks at me

she moved up from nevada last year
with her 4-year old daughter and boyfriend to live here
near his kids and the wife that he left for her
now he thinks of returning, he's not really sure
he thinks of returning, he's not really sure

her little girl pines for a mystery father
she's got sister and brothers by three other mothers
and amy's had a cancer, and she's missing fillings,
she can't afford a pap smear, can't abide drilling

and she looks so pale, like she's wasting away
i lend her my walkman to get through the day
she brings halloween cookies, silly names make us laugh
and she shows me a white tiger tattooed on her calf
shows me a tiger tattoo on her calf

she likes scottish pipe tunes, and she wants another baby
"before i'm gutted" - she says it sedately -
as if after all her poor parts have been through
they won't last as long as that tiger tattoo
they won't last as long at her tiger tattoo

something unspeakable happened to amy
it was held in a poem she never did show me
a quiet goodbye, my assignment is through
may the angel pass over that tiger tattoo
may the angel pass over your tiger tattoo.