In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.
(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)
I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.
The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.
To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.
Occassionaly I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!
This post will consider the song
Serve Somebody – by Johnny Q Public
I remember when I first heard Bob Dylan’s Slow Train Coming album, and specifically this song. It was the album that told the world Dylan was going to follow Christ.
His ability to write a signature song about two choices in life was enough to communicate the inevitability of having a lord in every ones life. He had finally found the Lord, and understood this truth.
I bought the album, primarily because it was Dylan, and enjoyed the songs, but this one stuck out. Years later, a band named Johnny Q Public, a band I have introduced my readers to, covered Serve Somebody. In my humble opinion, the group did a better job in delivering the message, and I rather listen to their rendition. To be truthful, I have never been a fan of Dylan’s voice, but he sure knows how to write a song!
What follows are the lyrics of this tune.
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
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 rock and roll addict prancing on the stage
Money and drugs at your command, women in a cage
You may be a business man or some high DBV
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk
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 someone else’s name
You may be a construction worker, working on a home
You might be living in a mansion, you might be living in a dump
You may own some guns, and you may even own some tanks
You may be someone’s landlord, you may even own a bank
You may be a preacher preachin’ spiritual pride
May be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
May be working in a barber shop, you might know how to cut hair
You may be someone’s mistress, maybe someone’s heir
You might like to wear cotton, you might like to wear silk
You might like to drink whiskey, you might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You might be sleeping on the floor, You might be sleeping in a king-sized bed
These guys only produced on album as far as I know, but I keep coming back to it. The band was “perty dang” good
Take a listen!
Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!
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