Remembering the shaped note singers reminded me of the practice of singing down the preacher. Anyone know what I'm talking about? As a child visiting aunts in the country I attended many old regular Baptist gatherings. These would last all day and a variety of preachers would take the stump. They would preach until they were exhausted or until the congregation sung him down. It was like he knew he was through, but couldn't quite wrap it up. At that point the congregation would start to sing and he could make a graceful exit. Many of these preachers used a sort of sing-song style of preaching. I remember so well one of them concluding by singing, "Sing me down, brothers!" Sue McN. "Shall we gather at the river"