Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Now I lay me down to sleep is a Christian children's bedtime prayer from the 18th century.

Text

Perhaps the earliest version was written by George Wheler in his 1698 book The Protestant Monastery, which reads: <blockquote> Upon lying down, and going to sleep. </blockquote>

A later version printed in The New England Primer goes: <blockquote></blockquote>

Other versions

<blockquote> Grace Bridges, 1932: </blockquote>

<blockquote></blockquote>

<blockquote></blockquote>

<blockquote></blockquote>

<blockquote></blockquote>

<blockquote></blockquote>

It is sometimes combined with the "Black Paternoster", one version of which goes: <blockquote></blockquote>

Sometimes the prayer ends with, “and this I ask for Jesus’ sake. Amen.”

In popular culture

• In Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street, the film's protagonist, Nancy Thompson, recites the prayer before entering the dream world to confront Freddy Krueger.
• American heavy metal band Metallica uses the whole prayer in their hit song "Enter Sandman" from their 1991 album Metallica.
• American heavy metal band Megadeth uses the whole prayer in their song "Go to hell" from their 1995 compilation Hidden Treasures.
• Art Garfunkel performed the song live during his 2016–2020 In Close-Up tour as the encore song.
• Belgian hardcore DJ DRS uses this prayer in the introduction of his Thunderdome set in 2022.
• Rapper JPEGMafia uses lines from this prayer in the chorus of his song "the 27 club" from his 2016 album Black Ben Carson.

• The Finnish gothic rock group HIM incorporates a modified version of the prayer in their song from 2003, Buried Alive by Love.
• Rapper JID takes from the first two lines and incorporates them into the first verse of "Kody Blu 31" from his 2022 album The Forever Story.
• Singer Halsey uses The New England Primer version of the prayer in the intro portion of their 2019 single "Nightmare".
• Singer Kid Cudi uses part of The New England Primer version in his A Kid Named Cudi album song "The Prayer".
• XXXTentacion incorporates a modified version of the first two lines of this prayer in the closer of his ? album, "Before I Close My Eyes".
• Canadian singer the Weeknd references this prayer in his song "Big Sleep" from his 2025 album Hurry Up Tomorrow, where featured artist Giorgio Moroder recites the lines "Now I lay me down to sleep, pray the Lord my soul to keep, angels watch me through the night, wake me up with light" in the second verse.
• Rapper Kendrick Lamar includes two modified lines of the prayer to his song "Alien Girl (Today W/ Her)" from his 2010 mixtape, "O(verly) D(edicated)".
• Rapper Snoop Dogg uses The New England Primer version in the bridge after the second verse of his song "Murder Was The Case" from his 1993 album Doggystyle.

See also

• Adon Olam - a Jewish prayer bearing some similarities

References