Up a Tree

I grew up listening to music that pretty much none of my peers did. This is what happens when you have a parent from New York City with a penchant for country music. Among the songs I heard a lot, or was subjected to, depending on your particular musical tastes, was a little ditty called "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton. This was one of the battles in the War of 1812. It had a catchy melody based on an American fiddle tune called "The 8th of January" and told a version of the battle written by a school principal in Arkansas who hoped to stimulate an interest in history in his students.  The part I remember best is the chorus: "Well, we fired our guns, and the British kept a-comin' There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago. We fired once more and they began to runnin' On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico." Perhaps the most colorful verse describes an unusual -- and fictional -- fighting technique: "We fired our