  The $2$-fold Bailey lemma is a special case of the $s$-fold Bailey lemma
introduced by Andrews in 2000. We examine this special case and its
applications to partitions and recently discovered $q$-series identities. Our
work provides a general comparison of the utility of the $2$-fold Bailey lemma
and the more widely applied $1$-fold Bailey lemma. We also offer a discussion
of the $spt_M(n)$ function and related identities.
