Behind The Fawm Series #4 - "Pity Not the Armadillo"

Let it be known that I do not show favoritism with my friends when it comes to song title submissions.
That said, my friends know the sort of thing that I could never, ever resist.

Like a song about ARMADILLOS!

My fascination with these curious, armored little creatures, dates back over 20 years.
I think it actually may have begun with a postcard received from my best friend who was traveling through Texas.

Or, maybe she sent the postcard because of the obsession.
Now that I think about it, I don't quite remember.

Sometimes little children in Sunday school ask, "Who made God?" and the inevitable answer is, "God has always been."
So, I suppose, it is with my armadillo infatuation.

One afternoon, many years ago, my mom was driving a car full of tweens (myself included) to a birthday party.

We realized we had left the invitation at home (30 minutes away) containing all of the information, and so we hunted down the nearest payphone, threw in some quarters and crossed our fingers that our neighbor would be home and able to get the invitation from our house and relay the details of the party.

We all peeked out of the backseat as my mom looked as though she was stifling laughter and trying to get off the phone as quickly as possible.

Moments later, we were laughing too.
Our neighbor, had gotten inside and read off a small piece of paper he had found on our desk.

I wish I could have been the one listening, because I think it would have been really great to hear a grown man slowly read, "Armadillos ... are ... our ... friends?"

I was slightly mortified that he had read OUT loud, the silliness I had scrawled out (with a doodle of an armadillo no less) but even I had to admit it was funny and I will say I was at least as much amused as he was confused.

If he would have dug around further, he might have found the very first draft of an Armadillo single, circa 1993:

"There's a Texan armadillo on my pillow. On my pillow sits a Texan armadillo. He opens his eyes, and tells me lies. There's a Texan armadillo on my pillow."

Or, subsequently:

"Armadillos like to tango, armadillos like to dance, armadillos like to conga, armadillos like romance."

Now, I have no idea why an armadillo would be telling lies, or if one would even enjoy dancing of any nature, but the thought of this strange scaly critter doing such things pleased me immensely and every time I thought of one doing anything out of (armadillo) character I would burst out into fits of giggles.

This happened, mostly during class...with my best friend, of course.

Anyway, there you have it.
"Armadillo Appreciation 101" or at least, a short history of my love of them.

I wrote this to be fun, light, and comedic.
I find it surprising that it is one of THE most requested FAWM songs I have ever written, and I play it live a lot more than I ever intended.
(Zero, being the number of times I would have intended to play it live;)

Who likes this one?
Can anyone guess the other bizarre and more recent animal of my affections?

Pity Not the Armadillo

Title submitted by my friend, Ryan Miller

Pity not the armadillo
He gets around
Although he’s so slow
The people swerve ‘cause he’s in their lane
He’ll mosey on along the highway
He’ll get there soon enough

Pity not the armadillo
His calloused head
It needs no pillow
He’ll roll himself into a ball
He’ll close his eyes and then he’ll fall
Into a dusty Texas dream

Walk on, walk on, you armadillo
Walk on, walk down that road
Walk on, walk on, you armadillo

Pity not the armadillo
His brain is pea sized so he won’t know
That a rancher in a rover
Is about to run him over
He doesn’t think, he just goes

(CHORUS)

Pity not the armadillo
Let him be and let him burrow
May his armor be like steel
May the wind be at his heel
And may his anthills over flow