Gotta Serve Somebody by Bob Dylan
I have been really getting into a lot of Bob Dylan lately. Here is one of his better songs written in the early 80’s upon his spiritual rebirth and born again experience as a new Messianic Christian. Do you think Bob Dylan is a modern day prophet for our generation? “Gotta Serve Somebody” is a song by Bob Dylan from his 1979 studio album “Slow Train Coming.” It won the “Grammy Award” for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male in 1980. The song was recorded at “Muscle Shoals Sound Studios” in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It stands as Dylan’s last hit single, peaking at #24 on the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 singles chart. The b-side, “Trouble in Mind” was a Dylan original that did not appear on the album. In response to “Gotta Serve Somebody”, John Lennon wrote and recorded the song “Serve Yourself,” which was a parody that mocked the injection of religion into Dylan’s songwriting. In his diary, Lennon said of Dylan’s song, “The backing was mediocre by Jerry Wexler, the singing was really pathetic, and the words were just embarrassing.”-Wikipedia
Of course John Lennon is just an atheist anyway right. I mean Lennon was applauding communism during the height of the cold war while living in a plush Manhattan Penthouse. so they really hated the audacity Dylan had to be a Jew and make such a bold religious statement as such. Lennon took the hateful path of Stalin and would have much preferred to kill Dylan and drag him to his death like the millions killed by Stalin. Well, Lennon is surely serving somebody right now and I guarantee its not God in heaven. These lyrics tell us of the true conversion Dylan went through, a true Born again experience. Way to go Bob- someday you truly will be leading worship in heaven. It would be interesting to note Lennon’s current opinion as he is frying in the lake of fire. I mean surely Lennon must regret, right? i really respect Bob Dylan whom upon conversion risked everything to tell the world of jesus Christ, that “You gotta serve somebody, no matter who you are even if your John Lennon.” So who are you gonna serve?….
You Gotta Serve Somebody by Bob Dylan
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You might be a rock n’ roll addict, prancin’ on the stage You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a business man or some high degree thief They may call you doctor or they may call you chief
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes you’re You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young turk You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame You may be livin’ in another country under another name
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes you’re You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may be a construction worker workin’ on a home
You might be livin’ in a mansion, you might live in a dome You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody’s landlord, you might even own banks But you’re gonna have to serve somebody Yes you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman takin’ bribes on the side You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody’s mistress, may be somebody’s heir But you’re gonna have to serve somebody Yes you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You may be sleepin’ on the floor, sleepin’ in a king-sized bed But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray You may call me anything, no matter what you say
You’re still gonna have to serve somebody Yes you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
By Bob Dylan
