Loretta Lynn & Willie Nelson Sing About Mortality In 2016 Duet “Lay Me Down”

Loretta Lynn / YouTube

Loretta & “Lay Me Down”

Loretta Lynn made history with her 2016 album, Full Circle. After its release, Full Circle became Lynn’s highest-charting album of all time when it debuted at the 19th spot on the Billboard albums chart.

Full Circle contains some updated versions of Lynn’s classic songs, along with brand new pieces written specifically for the album. One such song is called “Lay Me Down,” which is truly unique in the fact that Willie Nelson sings it with Lynn as a duet.

Although Lynn and Nelson were friends for years, “Lay Me Down” was the first song they ever recorded together. Despite this, Lynn told Exclaim they nailed the song on their first take:

Willie looked at me and said, ‘I guess you know we’re going to have to go around the world with this and tour?’ and I said, ‘Willie, I ain’t goin’!

Two Friends Sing Together

Lynn heaped praise on her duet partner. She talked about why Nelson is known as an iconic singer.

Willie’s a great writer and a great artist: you can’t miss who he is when he starts singing,” she said. “That’s what makes an artist.”

Lynn debuted “Lay Me Down” in a music video with Nelson. The song, like many on Full Circle, addresses mortality, and how the narrators will finally find peace “when they lay [them] down.

An Emotional Video

The music video for the song is simple, yet powerful. It shows Lynn in her dressing room while Nelson stands on a stage.

Finally, the two of them come together. They can’t stop smiling as they sing. Once they finish singing, the two old friends share a hug to close out the video.

You can watch Lynn and Nelson’s music video for their duet below.

Lynn passed away on October 4, 2022. Nelson released a touching statement, saying, “Loretta was a good friend and fantastically talented. She was a great writer, singer, and human being. I’ll miss her a lot.

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