Meaning
What does Stay in Your Lane mean?
Stay in your lane is a metaphorical phrase, instructing someone to stick to their own concerns or areas of expertise; to mind their own business and not to meddle in the matters unrelated to them.
via MEME
Origin
What's the origin of Stay in Your Lane?
With the rising popularity of automobile transportation and travel, the expression “stay in your lane” got more and more prominent and recognized in the world during the last century.
It is unclear, when exactly the phrase was used in its metaphorical sense.
In the 70’s, the expression was already utilized in sports, such as football to instruct players to take care of their own affairs.
Spread & Usage
How did Stay in Your Lane spread?
The first entry on the subject was uploaded to Urban Dictionary in 2007.
“Stay in your lane” didn’t truly explode, however until 2017, when LaVar Ball, CEO of Big Baller Brand told Fox Sports 1 host Kristine Leahy to “stay in your lane.”
This resulted in the mass hype-up of the phrase, with it being the sensation all over the internet at the time.
“Stay in your lane” is often used to decline unwanted help as well, for example by the Black Lives Matter movement to reject the overly enthusiastic participation of white men in protests and public performances.
External resources
- Merriam-Webster – The History of ‘Stay in Your Lane’
- Dictionary.com – stay in your line
See also the battle scene described by Posthumous Leonatus concerning making a stand in a lane by an old man and 2 boys that saved Briton in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, Act 5, scene 3.