Well it is Thanksgiving Week and just about everyone I know is expressing gratitude for what they have. They also have a willingness to help others that may not be as fortunate as they are. Helping others can be summed up as service.
I stumbled across a gospel song written by Bob Dylan called “Gotta Serve Somebody” that pretty well sums up the choice related to service. The choice to serve is a big part of almost every religion in the world. To serve is implied as noble and good. On the other end of the spectrum to be self-absorbed with no concern for others might be described as the work of the devil. We each get to choose who we are going to serve. Bob Dylan laid it out for us.
I have listed all the lyrics below.
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
I actually got to hear this song on Spotify being covered by Tommy Castro while I was listening to some different blues artists.
Found some other artists who covered this song including Eric Burton and Mavis Staples with Johnny Lang.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j4wkJox2j8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QJcypTivZo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC4o7vHw1Fo
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