Claude was an Armadillo

Traveled the great big south

Had a bag made a shark skin leather 

And a matchstick in his mouth

He was old and strong 

From living long 

Had a coat made of armoured plate 

His secret to livin’s that he always digested

Everything he ate 

I was walking a road in Albuquerque 

Thinking I was in the west 

When I heard his voice 

Above the noise he said 

“Chris stop and take a rest” 

I said hello Claude it’s been awhile

He extended his dusty paw 

I’ve been watching your world from a distance

Darndest thing I ever saw

He said I was out in Colorado 

Just a diggin myself a home 

When I came across this tunnel

Underneath a great big dome

With some suspicious guys 

About your size

Talking awfully quiet 

Something about a missile target 

Something about a riot 

They were moving a metal pickle 

Full a funny looking wires

And it was on a great big skateboard 

With little metal tires

It might be nothing really 

But it scared me near to death 

Claude looked rather sober

Then he took a deeper breath 

He said armadillos aren’t always gray man

Some of us are brown

Some of us are almost red 

From being out on the town

 

Our differences aren’t so complex

If you look us in the eyes 

I wonder what's behind a humans 

Outermost disguise 

Now Claude removed the matchstick 

Hanging from his lip 

Removing several others 

Strapped upon his hip

He said suppose that you and I 

Were both covered in gas 

And living in a space so small

That nothing else could pass

Suppose we then were both to gather

Several of these matches

You get more and I get more 

Till’ we both have several batches 

Still takes a single spark

To set us both ablaze 

In gathering a deadly thing

We'll find it never pays  

I suppose I should apologize 

For my entire race

The sadness in me mounted 

Claude could see it on my face

And I thought of little children

And gentle summer rains

And lastly of the armadillos

Just grazing on the plains 

I dusted off my blue jeans

And polished off my beer

Wishing all the while 

There was someone else to hear