I'm over 50 - I deserve to have cheat sheets.

I used to be able to memorize songs in a flash when I was in my teens and twenties. If I tried that now, I'd get stuck on every song I sang. Would it be better for me to sing only the stuff I learned 30 years ago? I don't think so.
It seems that for me to memorize a song, I have to sing it in front of a group several times. The audience response helps me fix the song in my mind, and it also helps me work out the fine points of a song. For some reason, I can't do that by singing to myself. Still, I try to rely on my cheat sheets as little as possible. I find the Mudcat Hearme sessions are helpful, because I get a chance to sing new songs for people, and they can't see me use my cheat sheets.
If I were singing for a paying audience, that would be a different matter - then I think it would behoove me to have every song memorized.
-Joe Offer-