Why wait any longer for the one you love?
When he’s standing in front of you.
“Lay Lady Lay” may be Bob Dylan’s most unique sounding recording. His voice sounds in top form and there is a unique effect on it that was never captured again. The instrumentation that created that one-time sound was a mix of pedal-steel guitar, organ and the unique hollow sound from the drums.
Dylan is well-known as one of the best artists to cover. It is because his songs are usually so ripe with material and he also under-produces his material. “Lay Lady Lay” is one of the songs that I can’t imagine will be topped with a superior sounding cover version. This version is amazing.
The lyrics are not subtle, which is a nice contrast to some of Dylan’s other work. He seems to be making an “argument” to a woman about why it is a good idea for her to spend the night with him. The argument is not complex; it basically boils down to “why not, it feels good, we’re both here and we can.”
Lay Lady Lay Lyrics
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 show them to you and you see them shine.
Lay lady lay-
Lay across my big brass bed.
Stay lady stay-
Stay with your man a while.
Until the break of day
Let me see you make him smile.
His clothes are dirty but his, his hands are clean;
And you are the best thing that he’s ever seen.
Stay lady stay
Stay with your man a while.
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.
written by Bob Dylan
