Line #39 Main/NowILayMeDownToSleep


1	->''"Now I lay me down to sleep\
2	And pray the Lord my soul to keep\
3	And if I die before I wake\
4	Pray the Lord my soul to take"''
5
6	A common Christian prayer said before bedtime, dating back at least to the 18th-century [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Primer New England Primer.]] An alternative version avoids mentioning death by rendering the latter two lines as
7
8	->''"Thy love stay with me through the night\
9	And wake me with the morning light."''
10
11	In media, this prayer is always said by children and has two uses:
12	* Showing how adorable or mischevious they are.
13	* IronicNurseryTune, especially in ReligiousHorror.
14
15	In the first variation, expect some kind of mundane addition like "and also give me a pony."
16
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
23	* On ''AudioPlay/WereAlive'', Burt mentions it when he, Saul and Angel are camping out on the roof of his store for the night.
24	-->'''Burt:''' Remember to say you prayers boys, especially the part about "If I should die before I wake."\
25	'''Saul:''' Oh ''great''! There's no way I'm getting any sleep now.\
26	'''Burt:''' Good! I was hoping to force a lookout.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Comedy]]
30	* Creator/BillCosby, in his "Cool Covers" routine from the ''Revenge'' album, describes how inappropriate it is to teach this prayer to a young child who's already scared to go to bed due to [[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight bedroom closet monsters]].
31	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcsPhK9pEYE Tim Hawkins mentioned this too.]]
32	-->Now I lay me down to sleep...\
33	I pray the Lord my soul... to keep...\
34	If I... should ''DIE''... before I wake...\
35	I pray the Lord... my soul... to take...\
36	[[MoodWhiplash kiss Sweet dreams!]] See you in the morning -- maybe! ... Oh, and don't let the bedbugs bite! [[EvilLaugh Muahahahaha!]]
37	* Creator/DennisMiller also mentioned the inherent creepiness in the prayer on his old HBO show. After completing the four lines, he responded with "Fuck that, I'm never going to sleep again!"
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Comic Books]]
41	* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': One story has Walter the Wobot serve a jail sentence, where he's seen reciting a prayer for Judge Dredd to stay healthy in Walter's absence every night. Walter's cellmate begs to be put in a different cell.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
45	* Done many times in newspaper comics with small children like ''ComicStrip/{{Dennis the Menace\|US}}'' and ''ComicStrip/TheFamilyCircus''.
46	* A ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1987/04/29 strip]] shows Jon starting the prayer, but he stops because he hears Garfield open the refrigerator door.
47	* Parodied in a ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' strip with Larry the Croc and his son:
48	-->"Now I lay me down to sleep.\
49	Mow da zeebas down like sheep.\
50	Give dem to me nice and dead.\
51	Me no happy 'til me fed."
52	* In one ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strip, Snoopy says this prayer when he's camping with the birds. When he gets to "If I should die before I wake", they all panic and hide in his hat.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
56	* ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'':
57	** Used rather ominously, though appropriately, in ''Film/{{A Nightmare on Elm Street\|1984}}'' when Nancy prepares for the climactic confrontation with Freddy.
58	** The Dream Master rhyme from ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet4TheDreamMaster'' is a variation of it:
59	--->'''Chorus Children:''' Now I lay me down to sleep. The Master of Dreams my soul will keep. In the reflection by my side...\
60	'''Alice Johnson:''' Evil will see itself, and it shall die!
61	* ''Film/LittleMissMarker'': Sorrowful Jones (Adolphe Menjou) teaches the rhyme to Marthy Jane (Creator/ShirleyTemple) before she goes to bed. It's part of the process in which hard-boiled bookie Jones bonds with the little girl in his care.
62	* Used in the trailer for ''Film/MySoulToTake''.
63	* Nancy starts reciting this when she sees Jason in her cabin in ''Film/FridayThe13thPartVIJasonLives''.
64	* One adaptation of ''Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow'' has Ichabod give a rather humorous variant, to show how completely paranoid he is about supernatural things:
65	-->'''Ichabod:''' And if I die before I wake, please bring me back to life!
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Literature]]
69	* In ''Literature/OnAPaleHorse'', Death decides to read his mail against the advice of his household staff, and one of the letters is from a girl who is afraid that she'll die in her sleep because her mother makes her recite this prayer before going to bed.
70	* Then there's the Selfish Kid's Prayer by Creator/ShelSilverstein:
71	-->''If I should die before I wake\
72	Pray the Lord my toys to break\
73	So no other kids can use 'em...''
74	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
75	** In ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'', Susan mentions this as one of the reasons she hates the previous nanny of the kids she looks after due to [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth the implication that this would be a GOOD thing]].
76	** ''Literature/{{Thud}}'': After extremist dwarfs break into Vimes's house, he, Sybil and their baby son briefly move into the Watch house. Four troll officers volunteer to guard Young Sam. Vimes hopes the boy will be impressed when he's older, as the best most kids can hope for is angels.
77	** ''Literature/MakingMoney'': Moist recalls that this prayer was potent [[invoked]] NightmareFuel for him as a boy.
78	** Parodied in ''Literature/{{Pyramids}}'': Arthur, classmate of the protagonist in a BoardingSchool, is seen (in a FlashBack scene) sacrificing a goat to Great God Orm in a dormitory before bedtime.
79	--->"A fellow can't sleep with all this religion going on."
80	* The first half of ''Literature/{{Earthfall}}'' by Creator/OrsonScottCard (dealing with a crisis during an interstellar voyage with most of the characters in [[HumanPopsicle suspended animation]]) is titled ''If I Should Wake Before I Die''.
81	* In ''Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything'', the second verse of Marvin's lullaby starts with this line.
82	-->Now I lay me down to sleep\
83	Try to count electric sheep\
84	Sweet dream wishes you can keep\
85	How I hate the night
86	* In Rachel Vincent's ''Literature/SoulScreamers'' series the books are all named for this poem, ''My Soul to Take/Steal/Keep/Save/...'' and late ''If I Die'' and ''Before I Wake''.
87	* In ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'', Marilla has to figure out something for Anne to say for her evening prayers, seeing as she'd never been taught any. Marilla quickly rules this one out, because [[GenkiGirl Anne]] very much does ''not'' fit the adorable child image associated with it.
88	* In ''Literature/TheGrapesOfWrath'' it's mentioned how Ruthie told this prayer when she was little:
89	-->Now I lay me down to sleep.\
90	I pray the Lord my soul to keep.\
91	An' when she got there the cupboard was bare,\
92	An' so the poor dog got none. Amen.
93	* In ''{{Literature/Gone}}'' In ''Plague'' Dekka says this prayer along with [[spoiler: Hunter]] as Sam prepares to [[spoiler: mercy kill him. He kills Hunter just as he says]] "If I should die-"
94	* ''If I Should Die Before I Wake'' is the name of a novel by Han Nolan. It's about a neo-Nazi teenager who's in a coma after a motorcycle accident. She alternates between being aware of things in her hospital room, despite being unable to communicate, and having mysterious dreams/visions of being a Jewish girl name Chana during the Holocaust.
95	* In the final ''Literature/TheObernewtynChronicles'' novel, ''The Red Queen,'' this prayer is the password required to shut down Sentinel.
96	* In ''[[Literature/RamonaQuimby Ramona Forever]]'', during Ramona and Beezus's backyard funeral for [[spoiler: their cat Picky-Picky]], they decide that they should pray, and Ramona starts to say this prayer since it's the only one she knows. Beezus objects, saying "You're not the one who's being buried," so Ramona changes it to "Now we lay [[spoiler: Picky-Picky]] down to sleep." She uses the "...morning light" variation of the prayer's last line, and when Beezus objects that [[spoiler: Picky-Picky]] ''won't'' wake with the morning light, she insists that [[spoiler: cats have nine lives, so he will wake up the next morning as someone else's kitten.]]
97	[[/folder]]
98
99	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
100	* Parodied by, of all people, Father Mulcahy in ''Series/{{MASH}}'':
101	-->''Now I lay me down to sleep,\
102	A bag of peanuts at my feet.\
103	If I die before I wake,\
104	Give them to my brother Jake.''
105	* In the episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E18SomethingWicked "Something Wicked"]] ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' uses a variation emphasizing angels instead of death, but either version fits well with the series themes.
106	-->'''Little girl:''' ''Now I lay me down to sleep\
107	I pray the Lord my soul to keep,\
108	May angels watch me through the night,\
109	And keep me safe til morning light.\
110	Amen.''
111	* In the last episode of ''Series/{{Penny Dreadful}}'' an unnamed woman sings this prayer to her baby (composition by Tom Kitt), and the song continues to play during the opening credits, replacing the series theme.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Music]]
115	* The Music/{{HIM}} song "Buried Alive By Love" plays with the second part of the prayer:
116	-->''If I should die before I wake, pray no one my soul to take\
117	And if I wake before I die, rescue me with your smile.''
118	* Said word-for-word in Music/{{Metallica}}'s "Enter Sandman".
119	** This one is also parodied in Music/{{Megadeth}}'s song "Go to Hell":
120	--->Now I lay me down to sleep,\
121	BlahBlahBlah, my soul to keep.\
122	If I die before I wake,\
123	I'll go to hell, for heaven's sake!
124	** And, true to form, also parodied by Beatallica in "Sandman" ("Taxman" + "Enter Sandman"). It's actually the same thing as Metallica's, except they replace "God" with "Cliff".
125	* Pirates of the Mississipi, "Feed Jake"
126	-->''Now I lay me down to sleep\
127	Pray the Lord my soul to keep\
128	And if I die before I wake, Feed Jake\
129	He's been a good dog, my best friend, right through it all\
130	If I die before I wake, Feed Jake''
131	* "Midnight Girl/Sunset Town" by Sweethearts of the Rodeo:
132	-->''Now I lay me down to sleep\
133	Pray the Lord my soul to keep\
134	If I should die before the world turns 'round\
135	Lord, don't leave me in this one horse town''
136	* Music/KidCudi uses the last two lines in the chorus of The Prayer:
137	-->''And if I die before I wake\
138	I pray the Lord my soul to take\
139	But please don't cry\
140	Just know that I am making songs for you''
141	* Parodied in Music/{{POD}}'s song "Southtown":
142	-->''Could be the next guy that you take before I wake,\
143	Now I lay me down to sleep, eyes tight, when I pray.''
144	* Somewhat borrowed in Sophie B. Hawkins' "As I Lay Me Down".
145	* A rather [[IronicNurseryRhyme creepier version]] in Music/TomWaits' ''Lullaby'' from ''Music/BloodMoney'':
146	-->''If I die before you wake\
147	Don't you cry, don't you ache\
148	Nothing's ever yours to keep\
149	Close your eyes, go to sleep''
150	* The Music/RedHotChiliPeppers put their own spin on it in "Sir Psycho Sexy":
151	-->''Now I lay me down to sleep\
152	I pray the funk will make me freak\
153	If I should die before I wake\
154	Allow me, Lord, to rock out naked!''
155	* The song "Now I Lay Thee Down" by Music/MachineHead takes its title from this.
156	* Literally quoted line on Music/FrankZappa's album ''Music/LumpyGravy''.
157	* In Kanye West's "Only One"
158	-->''As I lay me down to sleep\
159	I hear her speak to me\
160	Hello 'Mari, how ya doin'?\
161	I think the storm ran out of rain, the clouds are movin'\
162	I know you're happy, cause I can see it\
163	So tell the voice inside ya head to believe it''
164	* The final bridge to Dru Hill's love ballad "5 Steps":
165	-->''So now I lay me down to sleep \
166	And I pray my Lord my soul to keep \
167	And if I die before I wake \
168	Then I promise I'll be there for you always ''
169	* Used straight in Music/PattiSmith's "Frederick".
170	* In "For My Broken Heart" by Music/RebaMcEntire, we get a parody/variation in this lyric:
171	-->''Last night I prayed the Lord my soul to keep,\
172	Then I cried myself to sleep.''
173	* Gets quoted near the end of Music/AesopRock[='=]s "Bracket Basher", off of the ''Daylight EP'':
174	--> ''Now I lay me down to sleep,\
175	I pray the Lord my soul to keep,\
176	And if I die before I wake,\
177	Give my ASR to Music/{{El\|P}} and bury me with my mistakes!''
178	[[/folder]]
179
180	[[folder:Western Animation]]
181	* ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'': Donald Duck used it once in the ''Prince and the Pauper'' adaptation.
182	* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': The cartoons often uses this, particularly when a character is at gunpoint or under some other apparently mortal threat. The main villains, such as Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd, often make the demand, "Say your prayers, rabbit!"
183	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther'': In "Super Pink's Egg-cellent Adventure," these are the sumo baddie's ExactWords after Super Pink gets him in the noggin and his final words before passing out.
184	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'': In the cartoon "For Better or Nurse", Popeye and Bluto are trying to injure themselves so they can get near nurse Olive at the hospital. As Bluto positions himself on a railroad track with a train approaching:
185	-->'''Bluto:''' Now I lay me down to rest,\
186	Come on, choo-choo... do your best!
187	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The clown bed Homer botches up for Bart in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E10LisasFirstWord Lisa's First Word]]" recites parts of the prayer in a way that is pure NightmareFuel. "If you should die before you wake..." ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3yuFlvRyqM [maniacal laughter] ]]''
188	** [[MemeticMutation Can't sleep, clown'll eat me. Can't sleep, clown'll eat me. Can't sleep, clown'll eat me]].
189	* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'': In ''WesternAnimation/PussGetsTheBoot'', Jinx (later known as Jerry) says it when he's caught by Jasper (Tom).
190	[[/folder]]

Context Main / NowILayMeDownToSleep