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In order to separate myself from the pack of artist's who have covered this song, I thought I would pull the lyrics Bob sang at the 1980 Grammy Awards instead of using the album version. I always loved the way Dylan shape shifts his songs and changes his own lyrics. This is no exception.
lyrics
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 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 full of spiritual pride
You maybe working as a dishwasher, maybe a young bride
You may be workin’ in a barbershop, you might 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 drink whiskey, might like to blow smoke
Might have money and power, you might be broke
You may thing you're living, you may think your dead
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a feather-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
from Down A Dead End Street (Tribute to Bob Dylan),
released October 27, 2017
Chris Taylor: vocals, electric guitar, tambourine, percussion
Mitchell Connell: electric guitar
Jeff Elbel: fretless bass