“Patty Andrews, the lead singer of the Andrews sisters group was born in Mound, Minnesota on February 16, 1918 in a house that occupied the property where The Gillespie Center stands today.
During the 1920’s Laverne, Maxene and Patty Andrews spent their summers in Mound, living with their parents in a house across the street from the grocery store that was owned by Pete and Ed Sollie, bachelor uncles of the three girls. (Today, Green T Accounting occupies the Sollie grocery store building and The Gillespie Center is on the land where the Andrews Sisters’ house once stood.)” - From a commentary by Tom Rockvam that appeared in The Laker Newspaper during 2005.
They started their career as imitators of an earlier successful singing group, the Boswell Sisters. After singing with various dance bands and touring on Vaudeville, they first came to national attention with their recordings and radio broadcasts in 1937. Their music entertained Allied troops worldwide during World War II, sold war bonds, appeared in several films (including a few Abbott and Costello features), and performed for soldiers serving overseas. Their first film with Abbott and Costello, the pre-war comedy Buck Privates, introduced their best-known recording, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" which would win Best Song at the Academy Awards.
They also recorded many songs with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and other popular artists of the era. Their popularity was such that after the war they discovered that some of their records had actually been smuggled into Germany after the labels had been changed to read "Hitler's Marching Songs."
After a brief hiatus after the war, the sisters regrouped, performing in clubs throughout the United States and Europe. They broke up in 1953, with Patty's choice to go solo. Their last appearance together was in 1962 on The Dean Martin Show. Laverne, who had cancer, retired soon after; she died five years later, in 1967 at the age of 55.
After a long silence, the two surviving sisters had something of a comeback when Bette Midler recorded a cover of their song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Maxene and Patty appeared both together and separately throughout the 1970s, with Maxene releasing a solo album in 1986. Their most notable comeback; however, was in the Sherman Brothers' nostalgic World War II musical: "Over Here!" which premiered on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in 1974. The musical featured the two then living sisters (Maxene and Patty) and was written with them in mind for the leads. It launched the careers of many, now notable theater and film icons (John Travolta, Marilu Henner, Ann Reinking, et al). Ironically it was the last major hurrah of the sisters and was cut short due to a frivolous lawsuit initiated by Patty's husband to the show's producers.
Throughout their long career, the sisters had sold over 60 million records. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
The last of the three sisters Patty Andrews died of natural causes at her home in Northridge, California on January 30, 2013, just 17 days before her 95th birthday. The sisters were interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, close to their parents.
Pistol Packin' Mama
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
The song "Pistol Packin' Mama" by The Andrews Sisters and Bing Crosby is a playful tune about a woman who is dangerous with her pistol. The lyrics contain several humorous references to drinking beer in a cabaret and getting caught by the pistol-packing mama who is now on the run. The singer assures his beloved that he will sing to her every night and woo her every day, but pleads with her to "lay that pistol down" to avoid hurting somebody.
The Andrews Sisters & Bing Crosby's song "Pistol Packin' Mama" was written in 1943 during World War II and became an instant hit. It is a playful, rousing tune that was meant to boost morale and entertain American troops. The song was also included in the movie "Riding High" in 1950 and has become a classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Lay that pistol down, babe
Stop carrying that gun, darling.
Pistol packing mama
A woman who carries a gun.
Oh, drinking beer in a cabaret
Was I having fun
Until one night she caught me right
And now I'm on the run
I was enjoying drinking beer at a bar until a woman I was with caught me doing something wrong, and now I'm a fugitive on the run.
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
I promise to serenade you every night, court you every day, and be your faithful partner without using my firearm.
Before it goes off
And hurts somebody
Please lay your gun down before it accidentally discharges and harms someone.
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
She destroyed my car and physically attacked me because she was upset that I lied to her, and she even wished for my death.
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
We are three strong girls from Texas who don't have any friends because others don't like our tough, hard-nosed attitude. We are skilled at shooting, and my sister Cleo is especially terrifying, but even so, there's no one more pleasant than her. We tell her to lay down her gun.
Pappy made a batch of corn
The revenuers came
The drought was slow
So now they know
You can't do that to Mame
Pappy made a batch of illegal moonshine, but law enforcement arrived to confiscate it. The drought worsened, so they can't make more. Now everyone knows not to mess with Mame.
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
I was enjoying myself singing at a bar, but one night something didn't feel right, and now I'm on the run.
Oh, pistol packing mama
Lay that pistol down
Again, it's a plea for a woman who carries a gun to put it down.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 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.