I got you beat. I'm older.Ok. Now I'm starting to feel old.
"Lie down between the traces and die" refers to an old horse in harness lying down and dying on the job. The traces are the sticks that extend from the front of the wagon axle up to both sides a horse in single hitch. In double hitch it's the wagon tongue that extends up between the pair (first pair in multiple spans) of horses.





