Bob Dylan
Slow Train Coming
GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
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 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 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 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 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, 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 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 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 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, 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 but no matter what you say 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. Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music
PRECIOUS ANGEL
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
Precious angel, under the sun, How was I to know you'd be the one To show me I was blinded, to show me I was gone How weak was the foundation I was standing upon? Now there's spiritual warfare and flesh and blood breaking down. Ya either got faith or ya got unbelief and there ain't no neutral ground. The enemy is subtle, how be it we are so deceived When the truth's in our hearts and we still don't believe? Shine your light, shine your light on me Shine your light, shine your light on me Shine your light, shine your light on me Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself. I'm a little too blind to see. My so-called friends have fallen under a spell. They look me squarely in the eye and they say, "All is well." Can they imagine the darkness that will fall from on high When men will beg God to kill them and they won't be able to die? Sister, lemme tell you about a vision I saw. You were drawing water for your husband, you were suffering under the law. You were telling him about Buddha, you were telling him about Mohammed in the same breath. You never mentioned one time the Man who came and died a criminal's death. Shine your light, shine your light on me Shine your light, shine your light on me Shine your light, shine your light on me Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself. I'm a little too blind to see. Precious angel, you believe me when I say What God has given to us no man can take away. We are covered in blood, girl, you know our forefathers were slaves. Let us hope they've found mercy in their bone-filled graves. You're the queen of my flesh, girl, you're my woman, you're my delight, You're the lamp of my soul, girl, and you torch up the night. But there's violence in the eyes, girl, so let us not be enticed On the way out of Egypt, through Ethiopia, to the judgment hall of Christ. Shine your light, shine your light on me Shine your light, shine your light on me Shine your light, shine your light on me Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself. I'm a little too blind to see. Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music
I BELIEVE IN YOU
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
They ask me how I feel And if my love is real And how I know I'll make it through. And they, they look at me and frown, They'd like to drive me from this town, They don't want me around 'Cause I believe in you. They show me to the door, They say don't come back no more 'Cause I don't be like they'd like me to, And I walk out on my own A thousand miles from home But I don't feel alone 'Cause I believe in you. I believe in you even through the tears and the laughter, I believe in you even though we be apart. I believe in you even on the morning after. Oh, when the dawn is nearing Oh, when the night is disappearing Oh, this feeling is still here in my heart. Don't let me drift too far, Keep me where you are Where I will always be renewed. And that which you've given me today Is worth more than I could pay And no matter what they say I believe in you. I believe in you when winter turn to summer, I believe in you when white turn to black, I believe in you even though I be outnumbered. Oh, though the earth may shake me Oh, though my friends forsake me Oh, even that couldn't make me go back. Don't let me change my heart, Keep me set apart From all the plans they do pursue. And I, I don't mind the pain Don't mind the driving rain I know I will sustain 'Cause I believe in you. Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music
SLOW TRAIN COMIN
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
Sometimes I feel so low-down and disgusted Can't help but wonder what's happenin' to my companions, Are they lost or are they found, have they counted the cost it'll take to bring down All their earthly principles they're gonna have to abandon? There's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend. I had a woman down in Alabama, She was a backwoods girl, but she sure was realistic, She said, "Boy, without a doubt, have to quit your mess and straighten out, You could die down here, be just another accident statistic." There's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend. All that foreign oil controlling American soil, Look around you, it's just bound to make you embarrassed. Sheiks walkin' around like kings, wearing fancy jewels and nose rings, Deciding America's future from Amsterdam and to Paris And there's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend. Man's ego is inflated, his laws are outdated, they don't apply no more, You can't rely no more to be standin' around waitin' In the home of the brave, Jefferson turnin' over in his grave, Fools glorifying themselves, trying to manipulate Satan And there's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend. Big-time negotiators, false healers and woman haters, Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency, All non-believers and men stealers talkin' in the name of religion And there's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend. People starving and thirsting, grain elevators are bursting Oh, you know it costs more to store the food than it do to give it. They say lose your inhibitions, follow your own ambitions, They talk about a life of brotherly love, show me someone who knows how to live it. There's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend. Well, my baby went to Illinois with some bad-talkin' boy she could destroy A real suicide case, but there was nothin' I could do to stop it, I don't care about economy, I don't care about astronomy But it sure do bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets, There's a slow, slow train comin' up around the bend. Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music
GONNA CHANGE MY WAY OF THINKING
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
Gonna change my way of thinking, Make myself a different set of rules. Gonna change my way of thinking, Make myself a different set of rules. Gonna put my good foot forward, And stop being influenced by fools. So much oppression, Can't keep track of it no more. So much oppression, Can't keep track of it no more. Sons becoming husbands to their mothers, And old men turning young daughters into whores. Stripes on your shoulders, Stripes on your back and on your hands. Stripes on your shoulders, Stripes on your back and on your hands. Swords piercing your side, Blood and water flowing through the land. Well don't know which one is worse, Doing your own thing or just being cool. Well don't know which one is worse, Doing your own thing or just being cool. You remember only about the brass ring, You forget all about the golden rule. You can mislead a man, You can take ahold of his heart with your eyes. You can mislead a man, You can take ahold of his heart with your eyes. But there's only one authority, And that's the authority on high. I got a God-fearing woman, One I can easily afford. I got a God-fearing woman, One I can easily afford. She can do the Georgia crawl, She can walk in the spirit of the Lord. Jesus said, "Be ready, For you know not the hour in which I come." Jesus said, "Be ready, For you know not the hour in which I come." He said, "He who is not for Me is against Me," Just so you know where He's coming from. There's a kingdom called Heaven, A place where there is no pain of birth. There's a kingdom called Heaven, A place where there is no pain of birth. Well the Lord created it, mister, About the same time He made the earth. Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music
DO RIGHT TO ME BABY
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
Don't wanna judge nobody, don't wanna be judged, Don't wanna touch nobody, don't wanna be touched. Don't wanna hurt nobody, don't wanna be hurt, Don't wanna treat nobody like they was dirt. But if you do right to me, baby, I'll do right to you, too. Ya got to do unto others Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you. Don't wanna shoot nobody, don't wanna be shot, Don't wanna buy nobody, don't wanna be bought. Don't wanna bury nobody, don't wanna be buried, Don't wanna marry nobody if they're already married. But if you do right to me, baby, I'll do right to you, too. Ya got to do unto others Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you. Don't wanna burn nobody, don't wanna be burned, Don't wanna learn from nobody what I gotta unlearn. Don't wanna cheat nobody, don't wanna be cheated, Don't wanna defeat nobody if they already been defeated. But if you do right to me, baby, I'll do right to you, too. Ya got to do unto others Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you. Don't wanna wink at nobody, don't wanna be winked at, Don't wanna be used by nobody for a doormat. Don't wanna confuse nobody, don't wanna be confused, Don't wanna amuse nobody, don't wanna be amused. But if you do right to me, baby, I'll do right to you, too. Ya got to do unto others Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you. Don't wanna betray nobody, don't wanna be betrayed, Don't wanna play with nobody, don't wanna be waylaid. Don't wanna miss nobody, don't wanna be missed, Don't put my faith in nobody, not even a scientist. But if you do right to me, baby, I'll do right to you, too. Ya got to do unto others Like you'd have them, like you'd have them, do unto you. Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music
WHEN YOU GONNA WAKE UP
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
God don't make no promises that He don't keep. You got some big dreams, baby, but in order to dream you gotta still be asleep. When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? Counterfeit philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts. Karl Marx has got ya by the throat, Henry Kissinger's got you tied up in knots. When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled, You got unrighteous doctors dealing drugs that'll never cure your ills. When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? You got men who can't hold their peace and women who can't control their tongues, The rich seduce the poor and the old are seduced by the young. When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools, You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules. When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move, Instant inner peace and every step you take has got to be approved. When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? Do you ever wonder just what God requires? You think He's just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires. When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? You can't take it with you and you know that it's too worthless to be sold, They tell you, "Time is money" as if your life was worth its weight in gold. When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? There's a Man up on a cross and He's been crucified. Do you have any idea why or for who He died? When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain? Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music
MEN GAVE NAME TO ALL THE ANIMALS
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, in the beginning. Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, long time ago. He saw an animal that liked to growl, Big furry paws and he liked to howl, Great big furry back and furry hair. "Ah, think I'll call it a bear." Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, in the beginning. Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, long time ago. He saw an animal up on a hill Chewing up so much grass until she was filled. He saw milk comin' out but he didn't know how. "Ah, think I'll call it a cow." Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, in the beginning. Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, long time ago. He saw an animal that liked to snort, Horns on his head and they weren't too short. It looked like there wasn't nothin' that he couldn't pull. "Ah, think I'll call it a bull." Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, in the beginning. Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, long time ago. He saw an animal leavin' a muddy trail, Real dirty face and a curly tail. He wasn't too small and he wasn't too big. "Ah, think I'll call it a pig." Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, in the beginning. Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, long time ago. Next animal that he did meet Had wool on his back and hooves on his feet, Eating grass on a mountainside so steep. "Ah, think I'll call it a sheep." Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, in the beginning. Man gave names to all the animals In the beginning, long time ago. He saw an animal as smooth as glass Slithering his way through the grass. Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake . . . Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music
WHEN HE RETURNS
SLOW TRAIN COMING - © 1978
The iron hand it ain't no match for the iron rod, The strongest wall will crumble and fall to a mighty God. For all those who have eyes and all those who have ears It is only He who can reduce me to tears. Don't you cry and don't you die and don't you burn For like a thief in the night, He'll replace wrong with right When He returns. Truth is an arrow and the gate is narrow that it passes through, He unleashed His power at an unknown hour that no one knew. How long can I listen to the lies of prejudice? How long can I stay drunk on fear out in the wilderness? Can I cast it aside, all this loyalty and this pride? Will I ever learn that there'll be no peace, that the war won't cease Until He returns? Surrender your crown on this blood-stained ground, take off your mask, He sees your deeds, He knows your needs even before you ask. How long can you falsify and deny what is real? How long can you hate yourself for the weakness you conceal? Of every earthly plan that be known to man, He is unconcerned, He's got plans of His own to set up His throne When He returns. Copyright © 1979 Special Rider Music