I Laughed out Loud

I was just going about my daily work with the radio in the background when on came the distinctive vocal delivery and unique words of John Hegley, poet, performer, author and story teller supreme.

This piece was actually sung by John accompanying himself on the eukele and although I have, hopefully, taken down the words correctly you just have to hear them with the music and skilled delivery of this great and creative individual to really appreciate the emotion and comedy.

I will provide a link to a live performance at the end of the verses.

Just hearing this really brought a bright ray of humour to the day.

Armadillo, by John Hegley

Me and Armadillo,
I kissed him and I kept him under my pillow,
and I cleaned him with a Brillo Pad.

He was shiny
and tiny
and he came from Peru
His name was Armadeus
But we used to call him Toby

He had a suit of armour
and he burrowed about,
the hills and daffodils he turned them inside out.
And me Mummy used to shout at him
when he came home covered in crappiti.

He was an insectivorous creature,
the teacher used to say
and the dog next door, the carnivore,
would sometimes come and play
We had races
and chases
down by the riverside
and sometimes we'd go swimming
and
sometimes we wouldn't.

He had ants and beetles for dinner every day
them creepy crawlies he could put them away.
And he did his indoor doings
in his indoor doings tray.

But one day in the winter,
when the willow tree was bare
I looked under my pillow
and there was no Armadillo there.
I ran downstairs and I said to me Mummy,
"mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy" (x 19 more of the same)
She was having a game of rummy

And she looked up and said "John
go and put some clothing on
you're nearly twenty four"
I said, "sorry Mummy it's an emergency"
I ran out in the raw
I ran down to the riverside
and in a rowing boat I saw
Toby,
in the distance,
with the dog next door.

Live from Bury, John Hegley performs Armadillo