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 prancing 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 are
You're gonna have to serve somebody (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 living in another country under another name

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes you are
You're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)

You may be a construction worker working on a home
You may be living in a mansion or 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 (serve somebody)
Yes, you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking 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 (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody (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 sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king sized bed

But you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody) yes, indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody (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 but no matter what you say

Still, you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Yes, you're gonna have to serve somebody (serve somebody)
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Ah, yeah
(Serve somebody)


Lyrics submitted by twitty

Gotta Serve Somebody Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Gotta Serve Somebody song meanings
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22 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    Joshua 24:15 - "But if it doesn't please you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord."

    asutboneon January 03, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Obviously based on the bible verse from the Jewish bible. The bible has wisdom for even non-believers though. Are you going to be a force for good or evil?

    bugmenoton December 14, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    When Bob penned this he wasn't just blowing in the win (bad pun I know). Dylan was actually hitting on a biblical truth. Right now you are either serving your Heavenly Father or your daddy the devil. Ephesians 2:1-3, John 14:6, Romans 6-18. It stinks, believe me I know, but it is absolutely true. You can search the bible from cover to cover and you won't any example of 'spiritual neutrality.' Bob got it right, "well it may be the devil and it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody"

    dbubon March 10, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    "Christians are insane" ???

    People who make broad statements about a gigantic group of individuals are ignorant.

    Goodtimes13on January 09, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    RayMan you got it right bro!

    When I first got saved while at college, a fellow student replied to me when I told him of my commitment to Christ "I don't want anyone to be my master". Afterward I thought about it and it came to me. He was already a slave to sin! Yes, you do have to serve somebody and there boils down two choices God or satan. The reason is man was born in sin when Adam sin death and sin reigned upon all mankind. It is only by accepting Christ can we be made free from sin. I bought Dylan's two albums "Slow Train Coming" and "Saved" and wish I had them now. I got to go to one of his concerts during that time and was broken hearted when he reneged. I feel he must have had his heart hurt badly by someone. To turn from a religious belief is one thing but to turn from the source of all light and love is another. When many left Jesus at some hard sayings He turned to His disciples and said "will you also go away?" to which Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? only you have the words of eternal life". It is from Him wounds are healed and people are made alive, turn from Him? No thank you.

    hartsongjoyon November 26, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    TRUE!! You got to choose, either Heaven or Hell, Jesus or Satan! I would choose Jesus Christ, no doubt!!!

    Haugeon October 19, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    bugmenot... I'm not thinking so...
    Dylan was Jewish...until this album.

    HibbingismyHolyLandon January 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    His real name was Bobby Zimmerman... so I am sure that some people called him Zimmy

    brad_tingleon December 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this is a great tune, quite a good observation on life aswell. everyone has to serve someone, whether it be their boss, their country or god.

    eros11on January 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It's a little extreme, but, when Dylan got into Christianity, he really sunk his teeth in it. A fanatic of the worst kind. Like it or not. He refusted to play the old songs on his shows and interrupted them with neverending preaching. I've read some messed-up speeches about how the end of the world was coming, with the Cold War (but we survived, didn't we?) and that KISS were devilworshipers. I'm Catholic, but that kind of fanatism always embarrasses me

    cavernon March 14, 2007   Link

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