Bob Dylan- A Side View –“Slow Train Coming"- A Review

CD Review

Slow Train Coming, Bob Dylan, Columbia Records, 1979


I have, in terms of the sheer number of musical reviews, probably done more on the work of the "king" of the 1960s folk revival, Bob Dylan, than any other performer. And rightly so, considering his place in the musical history of my generation, and of his place in the American musical pantheon. That said, not all of his work, as he himself has acknowledged, is worthy of a place in the American songbook. That is the fate in store for most of the work in this album, "Slow Train Coming", done in a period when he was coming to grips with some personal religious crisis, specifically, his bout with Christianity.

Now, many of us, have had our trials and tribulations over that doctrine- without trying to enhance a musical genre over it. This is one of those things that should have been left in the vaults for future folk/rock historians to "discover". But since Mr. Dylan decided that it was worthy of production and distribution in the here and now I will venture that the following songs might intrigue those future anthropologists-"Slow Train Coming", "I Believe In You", and, the best of the lot, "Got To Serve Somebody". But my reaction after listening to this one was to then get my old scratched up copy of "Desolation Row" out and listen to "real" Dylan.


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 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 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 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 by Special Rider Music