Yesterday Pat and I visited my Dad and "Miss Emma" in North Little Rock. Don't remember how it came up, but at one point Pop began singing some old songs. He sings old hymns and gospel songs regularly, night and day. Miss Emma said he sometimes wakes her up in the middle of the night and invites her to sing along. How disruptive to your sleep is that? Anyway, this one came from the 1940s and was recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters and before that the composer, a guy named Al Dexter? Al had owned a bar in Texas and the lyrics were based on some real life experiences. The lyrics go something like this: "Drinkin' beer in a cabaret, was I havin' fun, But she caught me right and shot out the light and now I'm on the run. CHORUS: Oh! Lay that pistol down babe, lay that pistol down, pistol packin' Momma, lay that pistol down." Another verse went like this: Drinkin' beer in a cabaret, And dancin' with a blonde, But she came in and shot out the light, Bang! that blonde was gone... There are many verses and many numerous parodies of the original were composed. It was a favorite on the USO shows and hit the charts for a while during WWII. I am constantly amazed by Pop's memory. Not just lyrics, but all kinds of things that happened in his childhood/youth.