Writing Tip 3: Why Bob Dylan & Snow Patrol Aren’t Grammarians; Why Sophie B. Hawkins & Bon Jovi Are

Do you know the difference between “lay” and “lie”?

“Lay” always needs an object. In other words, what is being set down is not the subject of the sentence. I lie down (correct – the subject is reclining); I lay the book/the baby/the remote down (correct – the object is being set down).

Ergo:
Bob Dylan’s “Lay, Lady, Lay…” (no object) should be “Lie, Lady, Lie/ lie across my big brass bed…”
Snow Patrol’s chorus “If I just lay here/if I just lay here…” (no object) should be “If I just lie here.”

Sophie B. Hawkins’s “As I Lay Me Down to Sleep” (object: me) is correct.
Bon Jovi’s “Lay Your Hands On Me” (object: your hands) is correct.