 Slow Train Coming (1979) [ larger cover art ] |
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Musicbrainz DBYou may be an ambassador
To England or France
You might like to gamble
You might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight
Champion of the world
You might 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
Might be a Rock-n-roll addict
Prancing on the stage
Money, Drugs at your command
Women in a cage
You may be a businessman
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 are, 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 tough
You may be the head
Of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor
You may be blind or lame
Maybe livin' in another Country
Under another name
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Yes you are, 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
Maybe a construction worker
Workin' on a home
Might be livin' in a Mansion
You might live in a dome
You may own guns
And you may even own tanks
You may be someone's landlord
You may 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
Preaching Spiritual Pride
Maybe a City Councilman
Takin' bribes on the side
Maybe working in a Barbershop
You may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody's mistress
Maybe 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
Might like to eat caviar
You might like to eat bread
Maybe sleeping on the floor
Sleepin' in a king-size 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
Or you may call me Zimmy
You may call me RJ
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
And it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Ohh Yeah
Serve Somebody
| Sine_Nomine | Posted: May 20, 2013 - 17:59  I don't think the lyrics were meant to be taken literally. Me and my band mates do a version of this song and their isn't a religious inclination in the group to a man. If any of us thought it had a religious connotation, we wouldn't be playing it.Bob is great though, and much misunderstood I think. His irreverence for most established bodies of thought is played out again and again in his music. Lazarus wrote: Everybody in my church loves this song... |
| hayduke2 (Southampton, NY) | Posted: May 20, 2013 - 16:53 his 72nd is soon and this man is still fantastic! You don't hear it, that's your problem man |
| dwlangham (Nowhere to be found) | Posted: Apr 19, 2013 - 09:26 Some music I just don't get. This song and Joni Mitchell are two. |
| Lazarus (Bethany) | Posted: Apr 19, 2013 - 09:24 Everybody in my church loves this song... |
| denbear (Denver, Colorado) | Posted: Mar 18, 2013 - 22:13 Wow, there's few Dylan songs I don't like. This is one of them. |
| ziakut (Slightly North of Obvlivion) | Posted: Feb 15, 2013 - 12:54 Wow! A BD song I don't hate! Amazing! That being said...it does NOTHING for me. It is tolerable though...need to be positive. |
| Proclivities (Paris of the Piedmont) | Posted: Feb 15, 2013 - 12:53 nmcvaugh wrote: I'm sitting here drinking the blackest coffee from my Cthul'hu mug listening to Dylan sing about serving people. Gives a whole new perspective on the song. No matter who you serve, I'm sure they'll be delicious!  Indeed...
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| nmcvaugh (Austin, Texas) | Posted: Jan 15, 2013 - 05:17 I'm sitting here drinking the blackest coffee from my Cthul'hu mug listening to Dylan sing about serving people. Gives a whole new perspective on the song. No matter who you serve, I'm sure they'll be delicious! |
| ambrebalte (Wolxheim (France) - Dreaming about resuming my life in Beijing province) | Posted: Jan 15, 2013 - 05:17 The genius this man has for words never ceases to amaze me |
| mikec09 (Saugerties, NY - a top 10 coolest small town in America) | Posted: Jan 15, 2013 - 05:14 Always liked this song and that album . . . thanks! |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Sep 11, 2012 - 13:24 Everybody in my hotel room loves this song... Bob Dylan has a new album out called Tempest... for more information about the album, look here... |
| MiracleDrug (Earth) | Posted: Apr 06, 2012 - 10:09 pannaramma wrote: I tried to sing this to my husband when he told me he was lucky to not have a boss. Every body got a boss, babe. good. point. |
| dwlangham (Nowhere to be found) | Posted: Apr 06, 2012 - 10:09 Every time I hear this song, I'm reminded to ask if the emperor has no clothes. |
| pixiep | Posted: Apr 06, 2012 - 10:08 vandal wrote: Ya gotta bore somebody. . . totally agree.... |
| vandal (arriving somewhere, but not here. . .) | Posted: Mar 05, 2012 - 17:38 Ya gotta bore somebody. . . |
| Alirezairani | Posted: Dec 01, 2011 - 12:17 Great song |
| vicariance (awesome like a billion hot dogs) | Posted: Oct 30, 2011 - 21:27 It is amazing to me how popular a musician he was. Sheesh.  |
| Proclivities (Carrboro, NC) | Posted: Jul 28, 2011 - 09:57 Dave_Mack wrote: I don't think that's David Steinberg, the "booga-booga" guy, but I don't know who it was either. I did think it was funny that Bob stuck that in there. This song actually sounds a lot better now than it did when it came out. The "re-born" Dylan definitely rubbed me the wrong way. Bill Saluga was the "you-can-call-me-Ray..." guy, not David Steinberg - but he was a recurring guest on Steinberg's TV show.  |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Jul 28, 2011 - 09:40 A great song from one of the best American poets... love it... |
| kdavistcb | Posted: Jul 28, 2011 - 09:35 Mandible wrote: It may be the devil, it may be the lord, it may be yourself, but you gonna have to... SERVE YOURSELF, by John Lennon You say you found Jesus. Christ! He's the only one You say you've found Buddha Sittin' in the sun You say you found Mohammed Facin' to the East You say you found Krishna Dancin' in the street Well there's somethin' missing in this God Almighty stew And it's your mother (your mother, don't forget your mother, la) You got to serve yourself nobody gonna do for you You gotta serve yourself nobody gonna do for you Well you may believe in devils and you may believe in laws But if you don't go out and serve yourself, la, ain't no room service here It's still the same old story A bloody Holy War I fight for love and glory Ain't gonna study war no more I fight for God and country We're gonna set you free or put you back in the Stone Age If you won't be like me - y'get it? You got to serve yourself Ain't nobody gonna do for you You got to serve yourself Ain't nobody gonna do for you Yeah you may believe in devils and you may believe in laws 'But Christ, you're gonna have to serve yourself and that's all there is to it. So get right back here it's in the bloody fridge. God, when I was a kid. Didn't have stuff like this, TV-fuckin' dinners and all that crap. You fuckin' kids (are) all the fuckin' same! Want a fuckin' car now... Lucky to have a pair of shoes!' You tell me you found Jesus. Christ! Well that's great and he's the only one You say you just found Buddha? and he's sittin' on his arse in the sun? You say you found Mohammed? Kneeling on a bloody carpet facin' the East? You say you found Krishna With a bald head dancin' in the street? ('Well Christ, la, you're goin out your bleedin' girth') You got to serve yourself Ain't nobody gonna do for you ('that's right, la, you better get that straight in your fuckin' head') You gotta serve yourself ('you know that, who else is gonna do it for you, it ain't me, kid, I tell you that') Well, you may believe in Jesus, and you may believe in Marx And you may believe in Marks and Spencer's and you maybe believe in bloody Woolworths But there's something missing in this whole bloody stew And it's your mother, your poor bloody mother ('she what bore you in the back bedroom, full of piss and shit and fuckin' midwives. God, you can't forget that all too quick, you know. You should have been in the bloody war, la, and you'da known all about it. Well, I'll tell you something.') It's still the same old story A Holy bloody War, you know, with the Pope and all that stuff I fight for love and glory Ain't gonna study no war, more war I fight for God and country, the Queen and all that We're gonna set you free. yeah? all them "nig-nogs"? sure... Bomb you back into the fuckin' Stone Age If you won't be like me, you know, get down on your knees and pray Well there's somethin' missing in this God Almighty stew And it's your goddamn mother you dirty little git, now get in there and wash yer ears! |
| black321 (Apogee) | Posted: May 26, 2011 - 08:04 true dat...you can only serve one master...whatever that master you choose to be. |
| Businessgypsy (Deepest, Darkest Florida) | Posted: May 26, 2011 - 08:02 socalhol wrote: One of the very few Dylan songs I really do like Agreed, but I can't say why. Don't buy into the lyric, maybe it's the distinctive voice and unstoppable groove. |
| sirdroseph (Yes) | Posted: Mar 24, 2011 - 05:16 This along with One more cup of coffee (both Dylan and Marley) are the biggest stuck in my head songs of all times! At least I really like these tunes!  |
| Mandible | Posted: Jan 20, 2011 - 12:37 bachbeet wrote: "Shortly before his murder, John Lennon recorded "Serve Yourself" in response to Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody"." I didn't know that. Good for you John. SERVE YOURSELF, by John Lennon You say you found Jesus. Christ! He's the only one You say you've found Buddha Sittin' in the sun You say you found Mohammed Facin' to the East You say you found Krishna Dancin' in the street Well there's somethin' missing in this God Almighty stew And it's your mother (your mother, don't forget your mother, la) You got to serve yourself nobody gonna do for you You gotta serve yourself nobody gonna do for you Well you may believe in devils and you may believe in laws But if you don't go out and serve yourself, la, ain't no room service here It's still the same old story A bloody Holy War I fight for love and glory Ain't gonna study war no more I fight for God and country We're gonna set you free or put you back in the Stone Age If you won't be like me - y'get it? You got to serve yourself Ain't nobody gonna do for you You got to serve yourself Ain't nobody gonna do for you Yeah you may believe in devils and you may believe in laws 'But Christ, you're gonna have to serve yourself and that's all there is to it. So get right back here it's in the bloody fridge. God, when I was a kid. Didn't have stuff like this, TV-fuckin' dinners and all that crap. You fuckin' kids (are) all the fuckin' same! Want a fuckin' car now... Lucky to have a pair of shoes!' You tell me you found Jesus. Christ! Well that's great and he's the only one You say you just found Buddha? and he's sittin' on his arse in the sun? You say you found Mohammed? Kneeling on a bloody carpet facin' the East? You say you found Krishna With a bald head dancin' in the street? ('Well Christ, la, you're goin out your bleedin' girth') You got to serve yourself Ain't nobody gonna do for you ('that's right, la, you better get that straight in your fuckin' head') You gotta serve yourself ('you know that, who else is gonna do it for you, it ain't me, kid, I tell you that') Well, you may believe in Jesus, and you may believe in Marx And you may believe in Marks and Spencer's and you maybe believe in bloody Woolworths But there's something missing in this whole bloody stew And it's your mother, your poor bloody mother ('she what bore you in the back bedroom, full of piss and shit and fuckin' midwives. God, you can't forget that all too quick, you know. You should have been in the bloody war, la, and you'da known all about it. Well, I'll tell you something.') It's still the same old story A Holy bloody War, you know, with the Pope and all that stuff I fight for love and glory Ain't gonna study no war, more war I fight for God and country, the Queen and all that We're gonna set you free. yeah? all them "nig-nogs"? sure... Bomb you back into the fuckin' Stone Age If you won't be like me, you know, get down on your knees and pray Well there's somethin' missing in this God Almighty stew And it's your goddamn mother you dirty little git, now get in there and wash yer ears! |
| socalhol (Seattle) | Posted: Jan 20, 2011 - 12:29 One of the very few Dylan songs I really do like |
| Rooney (Near Paradise) | Posted: Oct 17, 2010 - 21:02 Mavis Staples does a fantastic cover of this. Check it out ... She puts soul into it that Bobby lacks. |
| bachbeet | Posted: Aug 14, 2010 - 22:14 "Shortly before his murder, John Lennon recorded "Serve Yourself" in response to Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody"." I didn't know that. Good for you John. |
| vicariance (awesome like a billion hot dogs) | Posted: May 11, 2010 - 10:03 sans wrote: Great groove and a classic Dylan flavor– love the backing vocals and vamping organ. And for you haters, not choosing is a choice. I see you have trouble with the word "not". Yeah it's a toughie. |
| oldviolin (Esse quam videri) | Posted: May 11, 2010 - 10:00 sans wrote: Great groove and a classic Dylan flavor– love the backing vocals and vamping organ. And for you haters, not choosing is a choice. Hovel or mansion? |
| Dgradeworkunit (Shenandoah Valley) | Posted: May 11, 2010 - 09:59 There's a lot of truth in this one. |
| sirdroseph (Tokyo) | Posted: May 11, 2010 - 09:58 Boy, this is some of the worse singing you will ever hear! |
| sans (Philly) | Posted: May 11, 2010 - 09:57 Great groove and a classic Dylan flavor– love the backing vocals and vamping organ. And for you haters, not choosing is a choice. |
| oldviolin (Esse quam videri) | Posted: May 11, 2010 - 09:57 Supper's ready... |
| handsomened (North Vancouver, Canada's tropics) | Posted: Apr 09, 2010 - 16:28 bachbeet wrote: Never liked the "Christian" Dylan. Never liked this song. Got news for you Bob, I don't have to serve somebody. Sounds like it's "I don't gotta serve nobody" for you. |
| PFM (Off the road) | Posted: Feb 05, 2010 - 13:36 Marginal at best. |
| Giselle62 (California's Cental Coast) | Posted: Dec 04, 2009 - 18:22 this sounded great after Joan Osborne doing his song "Long Back Coat" —very nice. |
| Paul_in_Australia (Melbourne) | Posted: Dec 04, 2009 - 18:22 a_genuine_find wrote: This feels to me like putting Mother Theresa in a beauty contest. I suspect Kenny G blows the saxophone well, but... |
| kaybee (Lost in the Wilds of Toronto) | Posted: Nov 03, 2009 - 18:36 Kokoloco53 wrote: You got it, Born again Bob Dylan, I remember well when the album was released with much hoopla about Dylan's recent conversion to Born Again Christianity. That's what can happen if you take too many drugs. Like Cheech and Chongs timeless skit where Chong laments,"I used to be all messed up on drugs, now, I'm all messed up on the Lord." I don't do drugs anymore either, but I don't do Jesus either. Do life. Do good to others. reason06 wrote: This is true of those that I know, and the harder the drugs, the more a freak for Jesus! Trading one crutch for another. Even back in the 60's, when (in my opinion) Dylan was at his best, I sometimes found him very self-righteous and arrogant and actually very intolerant - always something wrong with others but never himself. When he became a real right-wing Jesus freak, I lost any respect I had for him. |
| HazzeSwede (Vinyl Land) | Posted: Nov 03, 2009 - 09:10 Dylan,,,telling it, like it is !  |
| hasben (Muskogee Oklahoma USA) | Posted: Nov 03, 2009 - 09:09 If you live long enough humility will become truth. |
| a_genuine_find (not me, Radio P) (3rd stone, sol, orion belt, milkyway) | Posted: Nov 03, 2009 - 09:09 This feels to me like putting Mother Theresa in a beauty contest. |
| plaice3 (Cape Cod) | Posted: Nov 03, 2009 - 09:06 Another Dylan confession from me, who respects but doesn't generally enjoy listening to him, I loved this album and this song!! I know, I know .... ever on the outskirts of popular opinion. |
| thewiseking (New York, New York) | Posted: Nov 03, 2009 - 09:05 pretty weak Dylan right here |
| lmic (Limpid Drivel of the Best Kind) | Posted: Oct 02, 2009 - 19:13 westslope wrote: You don't have to be a Jesus Freak for these lyrics to ring true. Totally - it's just about humility. What's extra great about the song is that Bob as a person embodies and transcends both massive ego and total modesty. |
| 1wolfy (Mission Viejo California) | Posted: Sep 01, 2009 - 07:27 Faith, Love. Hope. If this is Jesus, why all of the negative. A battle of powers and principalities clearly exists. Your gonna have to serve somebody. |
| Mandible | Posted: Sep 01, 2009 - 07:16 In the late 1970s, Dylan became a born-again Christian<145><146><147> and released two albums of Christian gospel music. Slow Train Coming (1979) featured the guitar accompaniment of Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits) and was produced by veteran R&B producer, Jerry Wexler. Wexler recalled that when Dylan had started to evangelize to him during the recording, he replied: "Bob, you're dealing with a sixty-two-year old Jewish atheist. Let's just make an album." Years ago they ... said I was a prophet. I used to say, "No I'm not a prophet" they say "Yes you are, you're a prophet." I said, "No it's not me." They used to say "You sure are a prophet." They used to convince me I was a prophet. Now I come out and say Jesus Christ is the answer. They say, "Bob Dylan's no prophet." They just can't handle it. Dylan's embrace of Christianity was unpopular with some of his fans and fellow musicians.<151> Shortly before his murder, John Lennon recorded "Serve Yourself" in response to Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody". -wiki |
| Papernapkin (Mountain View, CA) | Posted: Jul 31, 2009 - 18:19 reason06 wrote: This is true of those that I know, and the harder the drugs, the more a freak for Jesus! Trading one crutch for another. That sounds about right. |
| Stefen (West Hollywood, CA) | Posted: Jul 31, 2009 - 18:16 Darlington wrote: Dylan gets cooler the older he gets... The playlist calls this circa 1979. |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Jul 31, 2009 - 18:16 This song is soooo good for the ears... |
| Darlington (Columbia, South Carolina) | Posted: Apr 27, 2009 - 12:51 spigolli wrote: Love those soulful backing vocals! Dylan well past his prime is still not bad. Dylan gets cooler the older he gets... |
Love this song! 9!!
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