The evening sun was sinking down
A chill north wind, it blows
The new-plowed ground was cooling fast
The river rolls and flows
Beneath the two lane concrete river bridge
Between my place and town
On that hot bed farm-to-market road
They call 1291

I'm sayin' son, you'll see me searching
Sizzlin' down that broad highway
Dollar signs in both my eyes
I'm seeking out my prey
I'm praying, "Jesus, will you send me
"Just another three or four?"
They pay two-fifty down in Hallettsville
Three dollars, maybe more

And more than likely they'll be out tonight
A-wanderin' from the farm
Waddlin' down 1291
To keep their bodies warm
I'm talking walking belts and neckties
And boots for rodeo
They don't run too fast, don't waste much gas
I'm making lots of dough
The armadillo
The armadillo

The armadillo never sees me
When I hit him with my brights
His life don't pass before his eyes
He's blinded by my lights
And so I hit him with my bumper
Doin' sixty, sixty-five
They take 'em frozen down in Hallettsville
They don't take 'em alive

The jackal cried
The jackal cried

The jackal cried, "Look there's two of them
"A-walkin' down the line
"I can't believe my luck tonight
"This here makes twenty-nine"
And so he rolled the first one running
The second was too fast
His breaks and laughter squealing
As he stomped down on the gas
Good God, his car was sideways flying
When the bridge walk met his door
The impact shook the river bed
His foot went through the floor
Forevermore
Forevermore

Forevermore was his last moment
From the bridge walk to the stream
From the speckled blood around his smile
The spewin' gasoline
And then he screamed his raspy epitaph
Before he turned to flame
"They pay two-fifty down in Hallettsville
"I ain't the one to blame"

"Ain't it a shame?"
The jackal cried
The armadillo
The armadillo
The armadillo
The armadillo
The armadillo