A bridge downtown in Austin Texas had to be restored

They laid the beams an inch apart underneath the road

Some bats found those gaps were a perfect place to stay

And then a million more came by to hang and sleep all day

There was terror in the city, nearly everybody knew

That bats all carry rabies, they're a threat to me and you

They’ll attack, suck your blood, or get tangled in your hair

Sign this petition now and get them out of there

For Merlin Tuttle bats were a lifelong joy

Whether PhD research or down in caves as a boy

He said I thought that science always would be my career

But what's the use of that when bats are hated far and near

My friends all say I'm crazy but my job I will resign

And move myself to Texas, try to change people’s minds

Every day people called up his office terrified

He'd listen so patiently then tell the other side

If you leave bats alone then they'll do the same for you

And after that you'll benefit from all the work they do

Like on farms eating bad bugs and pollinating plants

Pretty soon the person on the phone would want to save the bats

He took a cute big-eyed bat all around town

When people saw that gentle bat up close they’d come around

They started coming downtown to see the bats appear

And bit by bit the tide turned as pride won over fear

And more and more came down til there were thousands every week

On both sides of the sidewalk standing four or five deep

Austin is the Bat Capital of America now

And the Texas bridge engineers have the know-how

Now for the right new bridges in the hills or in the flats

They space the beams just right to welcome in the bats