Behind the Meaning of Bob Dylan’s Religious Creed, “Gotta Serve Somebody”—and John Lennon’s Rebuttal

Though this song didn’t play well with all of Bob Dylan‘s peers (namely, John Lennon), “Gotta Serve Somebody” saw Dylan take a strong stand in his newfound faith. By the late ’70s, Dylan was a self-professed born-again Christian. He bottled up his religious revival in this track about answering to a higher power. Uncover the meaning behind “Gotta Serve Somebody” below.

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Behind the Meaning of Bob Dylan’s Religious Creed, “Gotta Serve Somebody”

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 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

Despite Dylan’s obvious religious affinity, this song is partly open-minded. Though the entity he is serving is the Christian God, he really only calls upon the listener to find the force that moves them in life. Whether that be the Devil or the Lord.

Though Dylan was likely satisfied with this track and its accompanying message, he did receive some backlash. Namely, John Lennon found this song to be trite. So trite, in fact, that he wrote a response song: “Serve Yourself.”

Lennon’s track takes the complete opposite approach. Instead of serving a higher power and trusting in their will, the former Beatle charges his listeners with serving themselves. Ain’t nobody gonna do it for you, he sings.

“Anybody who wants to hear Dylan just because of who he is isn’t gonna understand what Dylan is saying now or then,” Lennon once said. “They’re just following some kind of image. They’re the sheep anyway. Still, the whole religion business does suffer from the ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ bit. There’s too much talk about soldiers and marching and converting. I’m not pushing Buddhism, because I’m no more a Buddhist than I am a Christian, but there’s one thing I admire about the religion: there is no proselytizing…”

Whatever camp you fall into, there is no denying that this is one of Dylan’s most powerful tracks. You can feel his fervor while listening to “Gotta Serve Somebody.” It’s clear Dylan believes what he is touting. That can’t be said for every songwriter. If nothing else, we have to give The Bard props for his authenticity.

Revisit “Gotta Serve Somebody” below.

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 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

(Photo By John Sunderland/The Denver Post via Getty Images)