“Now my friends lay me down to sleep, a fifth of whiskey down by my feet…”

“Now my friends lay me down to sleep,/ A fifth of whiskey down by my feet./ If I should die before I wake,/ Tell everyone that I drank it straight” is a jocular saying that has been printed on several images. “Now I lay me down to sleep” is a classic children’s bedtime prayer.
       
“Now I lay me down to sleep, A bottle of whiskey at my feet, and if I die before I wake, tell them all I DRANK IT STRAIGHT!!” was posted on the newsgroup Google Groups: rec.motorcycles on October 30, 2004. “Now I lay me down to sleep, a bottle of whiskey at my feet. If I die before I wake, tell my girls I drank it straight” was posted on Twitter by Josefyn Lim on August 4, 2009.
   
“Now my friends lay me down to sleep A fifth of whiskey down by my feet If I should die before I wake, tell everyone that I drank it straight” was posted on Twitter by “hehehe lizard queen” on April 8, 2012. “Now my friends lay me down to sleep a 5th of whiskey down by my feet if i should die before i wake tell everyone that i drank this straight” was posted on Twitter by Laron later on April 8, 2012. This version was probably popularized on an image.
     
“Now I lay me down to sleep, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s at my feet…” and “Now I lay me down to sleep. A bottle of vodka at my feet…” are related sayings.
         
 
Wikipedia: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep 
Now I lay me down to sleep is a classic children’s bedtime prayer from the 18th century.
 
Text
Perhaps the earliest version was written by Joseph Addison in an essay appearing in The Spectator on 8 March 1711. It says:
 
When I lay me down to Sleep,
I recommend my self to his Care;
when I awake, I give my self up to his Direction.

   
A later version printed in The New England Primer goes:
 
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my Soul to keep[;]
If I should die before I ‘wake,
I pray the Lord my Soul to take.
         
Google Groups: rec.motorcycles 
Motorcycles?
Biker Trash
Oct 30, 2004, 2:04:47 PM
(...)
“Now I lay me down to sleep, A bottle of
whiskey at my feet, and if I die before I
wake, tell them all I DRANK IT STRAIGHT!! “
   
Twitter
Josefyn Lim
@josefyn
“Now I lay me down to sleep, a bottle of whiskey at my feet. If I die before I wake, tell my girls I drank it straight.”
6:49 AM · Aug 4, 2009·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Mark Scrudder
@TheOfficeTroll
RT@kismetfeline Now I lay me down to sleep, a bottle of whiskey at my feet, if I shall die before I wake tell my friends I drank it straight
12:41 AM · Oct 9, 2009·Twitter Web Client
     
Twitter
Sidney Stokes
@siiidney420
Now I lay me down to sleep, a bottle of whisky at my feet. If I should die before I wake, let everyone know I drink it straight! Goodnight.
2:28 AM · Feb 9, 2010·Twitter Web Client
 
Twitter
Iva G
@IvaRules
Now I lay me down to sleep, a bottle of whiskey at my feet, if I shall die before I wake, tell my friends I drank it straight. T.G.I.F.
4:17 PM · Mar 12, 2010·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Debra Gail Rosenberg
@OhHeyDeb
Now I lay me down to sleep, a bottle of whiskey at my feet. If I die before I wake, tell my friends I drank it straight. #jackdanielsFTW
9:16 PM · Feb 25, 2011·Twitterrific for iOS
   
Twitter
Girl’s Got Issues
@girlsgotissues
Now I lay me down to sleep, a fifth of whiskey at my feet, if I shall die before I wake, tell my friends I drank it straight #girlsgotissues
1:13 AM · Nov 30, 2011·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
hehehe lizard queen
@Gabisaurr
Now my friends lay me down to sleep A fifth of whiskey down by my feet If I should die before I wake, tell everyone that I drank it straight
1:09 PM · Apr 8, 2012·Twitter for iPhone
   
Twitter
Laron
@laron_187
now my friends lay me down to sleep a 5th of whiskey down by my feet if i should die before i wake tell everyone that i drank this straight
7:36 PM · Apr 8, 2012·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
abigail negtruh
@_stillydgn
Now my friends lay me down to sleep, a 5th of whiskey down by my feet. If I should die before I wake tell everyone I drank it straight.
8:09 PM · Apr 8, 2012·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Guyinapanadasuit
@Masta_Franco
Now my friends lay me down to sleep. A fifth of whisky down by my feet. If I should die before I wake, tell them all I drank it straight.
9:47 AM · Apr 16, 2012·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter 
AS
@AcuteTriAngel
Now my friends lay me down to sleep
A fifth of whiskey down by my feet
If I should die before I wake
Tell everyone that I drank it straight
6:33 PM · Sep 20, 2019·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
Larrysaintpalacios
@larry_saint56
“Now my friends lay me down to sleep
A fifth of whiskey down by my feet
If I should die before I wake
Tell everyone that I drank it straight
Just another night in the lone star state next round is on me”.
1:01 PM · Aug 11, 2020·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
Derrek Norman
@ThugNasty54
Now my friends lay me down to sleep. A 5th of whiskey down by my feet. If shall die before I wake. Tell everyone I drank it straight.
11:38 PM · Aug 20, 2020·Twitter for iPhone