Lyrics: The Temp & the Receptionist

While preparing for our concert at The Zipper Theatre Factory in 2008, our director, Ed Iskandar, suggested that we would be well served to write a duet for two of our favorite performers, Anderson Davis and Patina Miller, both of whom we had gone to school with.

At the time, I was temping in an office.  The great thing about temping in an office is that it gives you a lot of time to look around your cubicle and think, “How many things here can I make innuendo out of?”

I suggested the hook “Cubicle Love”.  Michael added the “of”.  Much better.

Unfortunately, it’s one of those songs where you can’t use the hook as the title, because it gives away the joke, so we came up with “The Temp and the Receptionist”.

We’ve been lucky enough to have Anderson and Patina sing the song a number of times for us since then, including on our album.

Here is that original performance, at the Zipper (we’ve made a couple of lyrical changes since then):

Lyrics below.

The Temp and the Receptionist

TEMP
You sit at your reception desk
Looking oh so statuesque.
Taking calls with so much care.
And rolling in your rolling chair.

And you’re forever smiling
While you do the filing.
You sign for the deliveries.
Sign for my heart pretty please.

I’ve had you on my mind you see
Since this temp job was assigned to me.
Make my workday dreams come true.
And let me take you to…

My cubicle of love.
I’ll make your fantasies my fiscal goal.
Cubicle of love.
You’ll be an icon on the desktop of my soul.
I’ll fill your coffee cup with cream,
Cause it’s you I’m dreaming of.
Soft as my sweater vest
In our cubicle of love.

RECEPTIONIST
Well, you’re a temporary hire,
But you started an eternal fire.
You type your TPS reports.
And got me feeling out of sorts.

You act like no one ever sees, whoa-oh.
How you caress those keyboard keys.

BOTH
Whoa-oh.

RECEPTIONIST
And you’re so suave and debonair.

BOTH
Oh whoa-oh.

RECEPTONIST
So, boy, stop playing solitaire.

BOTH
Whoa oh oh.

RECEPTONIST
Don’t you know it’s not a crime
To put in for some overtime.
Our partnership is long past due
So won’t you take me to…

Your cubicle of love.
Take me away from this sheer office hell.
Cubicle of love
Open my spreadsheet like in Microsoft Excel.
Bend me like a rubber band,
And we’ll fit like hand in glove.
Linked like two paper clips
In our cubicle of love.

I try to hide these feelings but the passion prevails.

TEMP
Baby, we’re the envy of everyone in sales.

RECEPTIONIST
I can’t fight the temptation of an office romance.

TEMP
I’ll transfer all your phone calls directly to my pants.

RECEPTIONIST
Let’s give in to the urge—
Like a database we’ll merge.

TEMP
God this feeling’s so right
I could fax you all night.

BOTH
Let’s succumb to these corporate forces
And employ all our human resources.

Cubicle of love.
That’s where I’ll show you you’re my office mate.
Cubicle of love.
Like two sheets of paper you and I will collate.
We will reach fantastic heights
‘Neath fluorescent lights above.
They will outshine the stars in our cubicle of love.

RECEPTIONIST
Linked like two paper clips.

TEMP
Stuck like two Post-It notes.

RECEPTIONIST
Hole punched and interwound.

TEMP
Spooning and spiral bound.

RECEPTIONIST
Stapled—

BOTH
Together there.
In our cubicle of love.
Hmm.