Shane Koyczan - Specials lyrics

She won't tell you about the specials
Unless you ask her to she says
"you are expected to participate in this life
So don't be shy to ask questions"
Tammy's real name is Dorothy
Its the first thing you'll learn about her
When she points to her nametag with
A finger like a switchblade that's
Been flirting with a waterbed, looks you
In the eye and says, "this isn't me"
She'll go on to tell you that Tammy is
The best waitress in the whole wide world
If mountains had heart strings, Tammy woud
Have them curled around her fingers
And she would be mining hard
Rock for heavy metal
Skipping each love-me not flower petal, until
All that remains is the love, love me
Dorothy doesn't ask if you want coffee
She pours it hot, careful not
To hit the brim


Just shallow enough to leave enough room
To turn up the volume with cream and
Sugar if that's how you take it
I don't even drink coffee
But, I can see that she
Has danced this dance so
Often that her steady grace
Depends on this routine
She's been subjected to cruelty over
Empty cups of coffee
Treated as if she is somehow responsible for
Your long night or rough morning
She holds a pen like a warning and is not
Shy to remind you that
She doesn't take orders, she takes requests
You can tell her what you'd like, but
If you're not polite about it
She'll point you to a sign that
Reads: Shoes and shirts are nice
But manners are a must
If you wanna be served
You better dust off your ettiquette
Better sit like you did back in
Whatever grade that mad it
Clear to you that your teachers
Are not your parents, and that any mess you
Make remains your responsibility
Dorotthy has set the bar so
High for world's best waitress
That I wonder about Tammy
How could she hold a candle to
This woman who's kicking wisdom
Into me as swiftly as she's
Kicking the bullshit out
She tells me about dreams
She says, " My dreams are helium balloons
And I've made the mistake of letting go a few
Too many times but I still got this one
Tied it around my finger like a wedding ring
Because even though I don't
Believe in marraige
I'm gonna bring this one home"

And I want so bad to ask
Her what her dream is
But today I'm thinking maybe it's
Enough that she has one
Maybe it's enough that she's
Holding on to something
In a world where everything else floats away
Maybe this one should stay her business
This one thing that she shouldn't
Have to explain to anybody
Kinda like the fact that she gave
Up softness a long time ago
I know because she wears her eyes
Like two diamonds, cut into spheres
And she will look at you hard
The other diners would call
Her blunt, not me, i'd call her up-front
LIke that kid at the head of the
Class that always has his hand raised
Not because she's got answers
But becasue somtimes
She is willing to ask the questions
I ask so who's Tammy?
Instantly I can see that it's the lump in
Her throat thats stopping the
Words from getting
Out i can tell that theres a story here
That starts like an earthquake and ends
Like a hurricane that there
Isnt a stormdrain big
Enough to collect all the tears she
Shed for this woman who's nametag she wears
Like a shield against the worlds cruelty
Dorothy clears her throat
Smiles and says you havent
Touched your coffee
We don't always get the answers we want
Somtimes a simple look can haunt us enough to
Know that some ghosts need their rest
That some stories are dressed in the
Flesh of other people because they
Don't wanna be seen dorothy has been
Holding on to something and
As much I want to bring it
Out of her I can see
How sure she is that this story is not for me
We both acknowledge that I
Will never know what
It means to be the last one left
To lock up after the cook has gone home
And the lights have been turned low
I will never know what it means to go from
The front door to the parking lot wondering
If all the guys I served today got the
Hint I'm not to be fucked with
I can see why she is sharp
Why she traded in her softness
For edges i can see that her eyelids are
Ledges that tears have
Stepped out over her story is one I will
Never know because I was born a man
I can only mind my manners and
Accept that some things are
None of my business that this
Space we share is a gift and I'm only here
With her consent and it
Remains my responsibility not to be
The next guy who
Puts another dent in her heart
By trespassing into a territory
That she has marked off limit's
The radio spit's out
Another song that makes it sound
Like the world doesnt have
To worry about the way it is it should
Granted it would be easier
If everything we needed
To know was written on a menu board
But nowadays we should know enough that
It's up to us to
Ask about the specials to not
Assume that just because
Our coffee is empty
We are somehow entitled to having more
Because it's not just about
Putting forth the questions
It's about accepting the answers we ask for