Robert Earl Keen – Armadillo Jackal (Guitar)

Am                                    G
The evening sun was sinkin' down, a chill north wind a-blows

     F                                        E
The new-plowed ground was coolin' fast, the river rolls and flows

            Am                                G
Beneath the two-lane concrete river bridge between my place and town

         F                                E
On that hot-bed Farm to Market road they call 1291

           Am                                     G
I'm sayin' son you'll see me searchin', sizzlin' down that broad highway

F                                   E
Dollar signs in both my eyes, I'm seekin' out my prey

              Am                             G
I'm prayin' "Jesus, will you send me just another three or four?"

               F                              E
They pay two-fifty down in Halletsville, 3 dollars, maybe more

                Am                               G
And more than likely they'll be out tonight a-wanderin' from the farms

F                       E
Waddlin' down 1291 to keep their bodies warm 

              Am                              G
I'm talking walkin' belts and neckties, and boots for rodeo

            F                                        E
They don't run too fast, don't waste much gas, I'm makin' lots o'dough

       Am        C    G    D        Am        C    G    D
The armadillo....o....o....o…The armadillo....o....o....o 

       Am                            G
The Armadillo never sees me, when I hit him with my brights

      F                                       E
His life don't flash before his eyes, he's blinded by my lights

         Am                             G
And so I hit him with my bumper doin' sixty, sixty-five

                F                                 E
They take 'em frozen down in Halletsville, they don't take 'em alive

           Am     C    G    D              Am     C    G    D
The jackal cri....i....i...ied… The jackal cri....i....i...ied

            Am                                 G
The jackal cried, look there's two of them a-walkin' down the line

    F                                 E
I can't believe my luck tonight this here makes twenty-nine

            Am                                G
And so he rolled the first one runnin', the second was too fast

       F                                   E
His breaks and laughter squealin' as he stomped down on the gas

               Am                                 G
Good-God, his car was sideways flyin', when the bridge wall met his door

      F                             E
The impact shook the river bed his foot went through the floor

        Am     C     G     D           Am     C     G      D
Forevermore....or....or...ore  Forevermore....or....or....ore

        Am                                 G
Forevermore was his last moment from the bridge wall to the stream

            F                                E
From the speckled blood around his smile a-spewin' gasoline

               Am                         G
And then he screamed his raspy epitaph, before he turned to flame

               F...                             E...
They pay two-fifty down in Halletsville.... I ain't the one to blame.....

           Am     C    G     D              Am     C    G    D
Ain't it a sha....a....a....ame  The jackal cri....i....i...ied

          Am     C    G    D           Am      C    G    D
The armadillo....o....o....o  The armadillo....o....o....o