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This is in a song I've heard. Is it grammatically correct?

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...I pray the Lord my soul to keep. It's really just 'poetic doggerel', but strictly speaking it is grammatical, I'm sure. – FumbleFingers Jul 7 '11 at 14:41
Enter Sandman by any chance? – Andrew Jul 7 '11 at 14:49
It's originally from a prayer, and has been used in many songs. – Jim Dec 5 '11 at 18:04

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Technically this is grammatically correct, however it is not common for someone to use the first person for both the subject and the direct object of a sentence, as it comes across as somewhat redundant.

"Now I lay down to sleep" has the same meaning and is a more conventional way of saying this. Although I'm sure the choice to use "Now I lay me down to sleep" was done for poetic reasons and there's nothing wrong with that.

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Would it not be either "Now I lie down to sleep" or "Now I lay myself down to sleep"? – neil Jul 7 '11 at 16:53
Ah, you're right. "Lie" is used when no direct object is present "Now I lie down to sleep". – Ratz Jul 7 '11 at 16:58

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