Pistol Packin' Mama
Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Oh, drinking beer in a cabaret
Was I having fun
Until one night she caught me right
Oh, lay that pistol down, babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Oh, I'll sing you every night Bing
And I'll woo you every day
I'll be your regular mama
And I'll put that gun away
Oh, lay that pistol down, babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that thing down
Before it goes off
And hurts somebody
Oh, she kicked out my windshield
And she hit me over the head
She cussed and cried and said I lied
And she wished that I was dead
Oh, lay that pistol down, babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
We're three tough gals
From deep down Texas way
We got no pals
They don't like the way we play
We're a rough rooting tooting shooting trio
But you ought to see my sister Cleo
She's a terror make no error
But there ain't no nicer terror
Here's what we tell her
Lay that pistol down, babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Pappy made a batch of corn
The revenuers came
The drought was slow
So now they know
You can't do that to Mame
Oh, lay that pistol down, babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Oh, singing songs in a cabaret
Was I having fun
Until one night it didn't seem right
And now I'm on the run
Oh, lay that pistol down, babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Oh, pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
"Pistol Packin Mama" is a classic country song that has been covered by many artists since its release in 1943, but most notably by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters. The song is about a troublesome woman who carries a gun and causes chaos wherever she goes. The singer is warning her to "lay that pistol down" and put an end to the dangerous behavior before someone gets hurt.
The song starts with the singer reminiscing about a time when he was drinking beer in a cabaret and having fun until he met the pistol packin mama. She caught him doing something wrong, and now he's on the run. He then tries to woo her, promising to be a regular mama and put the gun away, but she's not having it.
Later in the song, three tough women from Texas join in on the fun, and the singer warns them too to put down their pistols. The song ends with a reference to moonshining and the dangers that come with it. The lyrics are fun and catchy, with a healthy dose of humor, making it a crowd-pleaser for country music fans.
Line by Line Meaning
Lay that pistol down, babe
Please put your gun down, dear
Lay that pistol down
Stop carrying that weapon
Pistol packing mama
Woman who carries a gun
Oh, drinking beer in a cabaret
Enjoying myself at a bar, drinking beer
Was I having fun
I was having a good time
Until one night she caught me right
However, one evening I was caught by a woman
And now I'm on the run
Now I am fleeing
Oh, I'll sing you every night Bing
I will sing to you every night, Bing
And I'll woo you every day
And I will court you every day
I'll be your regular mama
I will be your devoted partner
And I'll put that gun away
And I will stop carrying a weapon
Lay that thing down
Put that dangerous item down
Before it goes off
Before it accidentally goes off and hurts someone
And hurts somebody
Inflicting harm on someone else
Oh, she kicked out my windshield
She broke my car's windshield
And she hit me over the head
And she struck me on the head
She cussed and cried and said I lied
She expressed anger and disbelief that I was dishonest
And she wished that I was dead
She even wished for my death
We're three tough gals
We are three strong and daring women
From deep down Texas way
Hailing from Texas's heartland
We got no pals
We do not have any friends
They don't like the way we play
People dislike our behavior
We're a rough rooting tooting shooting trio
We are a gang of rough and tough women with a love for shooting
But you ought to see my sister Cleo
But my sister Cleo is particularly impressive
She's a terror make no error
She can be frightening at times
But there ain't no nicer terror
Despite this, there is no kinder person than her
Here's what we tell her
This is what we say to her
Pappy made a batch of corn
My dad made some moonshine
The revenuers came
Government officials came to shut us down
The drought was slow
There had been a slow period for our business
So now they know
They now understand the situation
You can't do that to Mame
You can't mess with us
Oh, singing songs in a cabaret
Singing and performing in a nightclub
Was I having fun
I was enjoying myself
Until one night it didn't seem right
Until one night things felt unusual
Oh, pistol packing mama
Woman with a gun
Lay that pistol down
Stop carrying that weapon
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dexter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Wolfhoundersful
Lay that pistol down, Babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Oh, drinking beer in a cabaret
Was I having fun
Until one night she caught me right
And now I'm on the run
Oh, lay that pistol down, Babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Oh, I'll sing you every night Bing
And I'll woo you every day
I'll be your regular mama
And I'll put that gun away
Oh, lay that pistol down, Babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that thing down
Before it goes off and hurts somebody
Oh, she kicked out my windshield
And she hit me over the head
She cussed and cried and said I lied
And she wished that I was dead
Oh, lay that pistol down, Babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
We're 3 tough gals
From deep down Texas way
We got no pals
They don't like the way we play
We're a rough rooting tooting shooting trio
But you ought to see my sister Cleo
She's a terror make no error
But there ain't no nicer terror
Here's what we tell her
Lay that pistol down, Babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Pappy made a batch of corn
The revenuers came
The draught was slow
So now they know
You can't do that to Mame
Lay that pistol down, Babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Oh, singing songs in a cabaret
Was I having fun
Until one night it didn't seem right
And now I'm on the run
Oh, lay that pistol down, Babe
Lay that pistol down
Pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Oh, pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
@Jackson-ub1uv
A direct fact from Wikipedia:
Patty Andrews recalled that she and her sisters were quite amused and had to restrain their laughter when Crosby ad libbed "lay that thing down before it goes off and hurts somebody."
@CloroxBleach-co3ht
I laughed when I heard that 🤣🤣🤣
@5tyxz
"laddatthindaownbeforigosofenhurtzumbuddy"
@peenprincess
cant blame them, he said it so fast its like a tongue twister lmao
@gloriarabanal7286
I literally saw this just as he was saying this, lol
@ivangranger8494
@Gloria Rabanal Same here! 😅
@fabriziofotiff
My grandpa hear this one classic in Naples for the first time after the liberation of South Italy. He told me that the GI's played it all night long in the hot summer of 1944. Greetings from Italy!!!😉
@mcronald6213
Woah, here in America we all only know this song from a video game, seems kinda dumb when you put it into perspective like that lol, incredible to hear about you’re grandads story
@nicolasinguanti9986
@Mc Ronald What’s wrong with that? It’s fine to love a song because of a game. I loved this song because of Fallout too, and now I have two reasons to like this song.
It’s fine.
@TomParmenter
It's a running joke in the war memoirs of Spike Milligan, of Goon Show fame. He was in Italy at the time. Maybe your Grandpa heard him sing it.