Rock Poetry Line by Line

"Lay Lady Lay"

"Lay Lady Lay"

Bob Dylan

1969

 

“Lay Lady Lay"

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed

Whatever colors you have in your mind

I'll show them to you and you'll see them shine.

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed

Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile

Until the break of day, let me see you make him smile

His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean

And you're the best thing that he's ever seen.

Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile

Why wait any longer for the world to begin

You can have your cake and eat it too

Why wait any longer for the one you love

When he's standing in front of you.

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed

Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead

I long to see you in the morning light

I long to reach for you in the night

Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead.

 

The enigmatic, free spirit Bob Dylan, once told the press that

“Lay Lady Lay,” from the album Nashville Skyline, was about

  his dog.  This caused fans to review the lyrics, trying to fit

  them to a canine scenario.  It has also been speculated that this

  rock classic, which earns my vote as my favorite song/poem

   of Dylan’s, was written for American model, Edie Sedgwick,

   with whom he had a brief romance.

 

“Lay Lady Lay” features Dylan’s voice in a low croon, a sultry

 rhythm, paired with a seductive melody and notable lyrics.  I

 hope the reader listens to this original recording I have provided.

 It is time for the lady to go home; he wants her to stay:

 

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed.     

The brass bed symbolizes the epitome of a sensuous setting.

Whatever colors you have in your mind

I'll show them to you and you'll see them shine.

He will make her dreams come true, promises a night

 of intense pleasure.

 

Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile

Until the break of day, let me see you make him smile

He politely changes to a third person delivery, not

Wanting to pressure her or scare her away.

His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean

And you’re the best thing that he’s ever seen

This is my choice as the best lines in the song.

He’s telling her that he works hard, and he’s honest.

And he thinks she’s beautiful; he won’t hurt her.

Why wait any longer for the world to begin

You can have your cake and eat it too

Why wait any longer for the one you love

When he's standing in front of you.

Still in third person, he tells her the world will

 begin when they make love.  They can have their

  passion; they can also have their love. There is no

  need to wait; they love each other, and he’s not going

  anywhere.

 

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed

Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead

I long to see you in the morning light

I long to reach for you in the night

Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead

 

This final verse, again in first person, asks her not

 to waste this night.  He wants to spend it with her.

 He wants her to be there with him in the morning;

  He wants to make love all night long.

 

“Lay Lady Lay,” the wedding song of many couples,

  is the ultimate music for romance and passion. This

  timeless rock song by the legendary Bob Dylan is

  enjoyed today worldwide by lovers young and old.