“Lay Lady Lay”, is a song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album.  Like many of the tracks on the album, Dylan sings the song in a low croon, rather than in the high nasal singing style associated with his earlier (and eventually later) recordings.  The song has become a standard and has been covered by numerous bands and artists over the years.

“Lay Lady Lay” was originally written for the soundtrack of the movie Midnight Cowboy but wasn’t submitted in time to be included in the finished film. Joel Whitburn said instead that the song was “written for his wife Sarah Lowndes”.  In a 1971 interview for which transcripts were auctioned in 2020, Dylan said the song was written for Barbra Streisand, with Streisand later adding that Dylan wanted to sing a duet with her.