> The Albion Band > Songs > Lay Me Low
Lay Me Low
[ Roud - ; Mudcat 78387 ; trad. arr. John Tams]
The Albion Band performed Ampleforth / Lay Me Low in 1978 on their album Rise Up Like the Sun. A remixed version was released in the following year as the B-side of their single Pain or Paradise; it was also included as a bonus track of the album’s CD reissue. They noted :
The instrumental opener is a traditional fiddle tune arranged by Pete Bullock, while John Tams described the composition of Lay Me Low in a 1986 interview: “It’s based on the improvised Shaker psalm. I was drawn to a book titled The Gift to Be Simple, which is about Shaker hymn-making. In the case of Lay Me Low, it simply had the line ‘lay me low’ and a rhythm in the words. I started singing it with Pete Bullock around a piano, and we adapted the shape by me rather determinedly banging and Pete shortening the bar lengths, which are strange and irregular.”
With Julie Covington, Pat Donaldson, Kate McGarrigle, Linda & Richard Thompson, chorus vocals.
Home Service sang Lay Me Low at the National Theatre Production of The Nativity. This was included in 1985 on their soundtrack album The Mysteries, and in 2007 on John Tams anthology The Definitive Collection.
Coope Boyes & Simpson sang Lay Me Low on their No Masters albums Passchendaele Suite (1996), What We Sing (1999), Private Peaceful (2006) and In Flanders Field (2014).
This video shows John Tams and Barry Coope singing Lay Me Low at the Gosport and Fareham Easter Festival in 2007:
Elle Osborne sang Lay Me Low on her 2011 album So Slowly Slowly Got She Up.
Banter sang Lay Me Low in 2024 on their Mrs Casey album Heroes. They noted:
We were extremely honoured to have John Tams perform at BanterFest 2023 where the whole audience wanted him to carry on playing all night! His songs have marked some very important events in our lives and he is most definitely a musical hero to us. Thank you John xx
Lyrics
The Albion Band sings Lay Me Low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Where no-one can see me
Where no-one can find me
Where no-one can hurt me
Show me the way
Help me to say
All that I need to
All that I needed you gave me
All that I wanted you made me
When I stumbled you saved me
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Where no-one can see me
Where no-one can find me
Where no-one can hurt me
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Where no-one can see me
Where no-one can find me
Where no-one can hurt me
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low
Lay me low