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Works Cited

"." . N.p., n. d. Web. . <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+6:24-26&version=KJV>.

Ben M. "John Lennon-Serve Yourself." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 18 Aug. 2007. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

"Bob Dylan." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Bob_Dylan.html>.

"Bob Dylan Bio | Bob Dylan Career." MTV Artists. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.mtv.com/artists/bob-dylan/biography/>.

"Bob Dylan Pro.." flashcards. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://quizlet.com/9093225/bob-dylan-pro-flash-cards/>.

cardplant. "Bob Dylan and Susan Tedeschi Highway 61 Revisited." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 10 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

Cory Epps. "Solid Rock- Third Day." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 1 Aug. 2007. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

Dylan, Bob. Lyrics 1962 - 2002. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print

JasonHi. "Bob Dylan- "When You Gonna Wake Up Sermon- Tempe 1979." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 28 Apr. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

MICKEYDELFINO. "BOB DYLAN-WHEN HE RETURNS (COVER)." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 20 Jun. 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

MrBrainfreezer. "Bob Dylan Saved." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 5 May. 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

romilson carvalho. "in the garden legendado." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 21 Jun. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

Zakdayak. "Dylan's Forever Young from Biograph." Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 25 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

Bob Dylan and Religion: The Musician's relationship with both Judaism and Christianity

Judaism: Personal Life

Childhood

-Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941. His parents, Abe and Beatty Zimmerman, were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine.

-He was raised in Hibbing , Minnesota, which "had a stable Jewish community of about 300 people"

-He attended synagogue and his parents held leadership roles in the Jewish community.

-He had a Bar Mitzvah in Hibbing.

(Jewish Virtual Library)

Family

-Besides Dylan's parents, it is his children that indicate his relationship with Judaism.

-Dylan ensured that his children had a Bar Mitvah. He traveled to Israel in 1983 to attend his son's (Jesse) Bar Mitvah.

(Jewish Virtual Library)

Dylan as an American Rebel

Judaism: Lyrics

"Highway 61 Revisited"

Judaism

-The entire first stanza is a retelling of a seminal scene in the Old Testament, or Torah. Dylan describes, in the first stanza, God and Abraham's conversation about Abraham killing his son. Abraham is considered the father of Judaism. Dylan modernizes the scene by suggesting that God commanded Abraham to kill his son "Out on Highway 61" (7).

Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"

Abe says, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"

God say, "No." Abe say, "What ?"

God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but

The next time you see me comin' you better run"

Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killin' done ?"

God says. "Out on Highway 61".

Well Georgia Sam he had a bloody nose

Welfare Department they wouldn't give him no clothes

He asked poor Howard where can I go

Howard said there's only one place I know

Sam said tell me quick man I got to run

Ol' Howard just pointed with his gun

And said that way down on Highway 61.

Well Mack the finger said to Louie the King

I got forty red white and blue shoe strings

And a thousand telephones that don't ring

Do you know where I can get ride of these things

And Louie the King said let me think for a minute son

And he said yes I think it can be easily done

Just take everything down to Highway 61.

Now the fifth daughter on the twelfth night

Told the first father that things weren't right

My complexion she said is much too white

He said come here and step into the light he says hmmm you're right

Let me tell second mother this has been done

But the second mother was with the seventh son

And they were both out on Highway 61.

Now the rowin' gambler he was very bored

He was tryin' to create a next world war

He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor

He said I never engaged in this kind of thing before

But yes I think it can be very easily done

We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun

And have it on Highway 61.

Dylan Performing

"Forever Young"

Judaism

-Dylan's relationship with religion represents, in part, the way he was an American rebel. An American rebel is, in some ways, a person who does not cater to the wishes of others. It is someone who decides to live a certain way, be a particular person, and believe what they want- regardless of public opinion. Dylan's religiosity was not welcomed and accepted by his fans or artistic peers. He was chastised and mocked for it. Yet, even while he was booed at shows for "preaching," he continued to do so, because that is what he decided to do. He rebelled against the public's wishes. He voiced his religion. He was an American Rebel.

-The first line of the song alludes to a prominent Jewish blessing that comes from Numbers 6:24, which states: "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee" (King James). Also, the line that states, "[m]ay you build a ladder to the stars / [a]nd climb on every rung" (5-6) is an allusion to the biblical story of Jacob, a story important to the Jewish tradition.

May God bless and keep you always

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others

And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars

And climb on every rung

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young

May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous

May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth

And see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous

Stand upright and be strong

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young

May you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation

When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful

May your song always be sung

May you stay forever young

Forever young, forever young

May you stay forever young

Dylan Performing

"Neighborhood Bully"

Judaism

-This song is a clear defense of Israel, a nation with a rich Jewish heritage and, currently, a majority population of Jews. It is also, in a larger sense, a defense of Jewish people in general. The song attempts to convey what Dylan believes in ludicrousness; that is, the song tries to make the argument that Israel and its Jewish people have been relentlessly battered by the world, and the latest battering is the world's notion that they shouldn't fight back against antagonizing forces and if they do so they'll be labeled as bullies.

He got no allies to really speak of

What he gets he must pay for, he don’t get it out of love

He buys obsolete weapons and he won’t be denied

But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side

He’s the neighborhood bully

Well, he’s surrounded by pacifists who all want peace

They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease

Now, they wouldn’t hurt a fly. To hurt one they would weep

They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep

He’s the neighborhood bully

Every empire that’s enslaved him is gone

Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon

He’s made a garden of paradise in the desert sand

In bed with nobody, under no one’s command

He’s the neighborhood bully

Now his holiest books have been trampled upon

No contract he signed was worth what it was written on

He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth

Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health

He’s the neighborhood bully

What’s anybody indebted to him for?

Nothin’, they say. He just likes to cause war

Pride and prejudice and superstition indeed

They wait for this bully like a dog waits to feed

He’s the neighborhood bully

What has he done to wear so many scars?

Does he change the course of rivers? Does he pollute the moon and stars?

Neighborhood bully, standing on the hill

Running out the clock, time standing still

Neighborhood bully

Well, the neighborhood bully, he’s just one man

His enemies say he’s on their land

They got him outnumbered about a million to one

He got no place to escape to, no place to run

He’s the neighborhood bully

The neighborhood bully just lives to survive

He’s criticized and condemned for being alive

He’s not supposed to fight back, he’s supposed to have thick skin

He’s supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in

He’s the neighborhood bully

The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land

He’s wandered the earth an exiled man

Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn

He’s always on trial for just being born

He’s the neighborhood bully

Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized

Old women condemned him, said he should apologize.

Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad

The bombs were meant for him. He was supposed to feel bad

He’s the neighborhood bully

Well, the chances are against it and the odds are slim

That he’ll live by the rules that the world makes for him

’Cause there’s a noose at his neck and a gun at his back

And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac

He’s the neighborhood bully

Bob Dylan and Religion

Dylan interacted with and was influenced by Judaism and Christianity.

Both Dylan's lyrics and personal life reflect this religious influence.

Christianity

-Influence on personal life

-Actions and Statements

-Influence on lyrics

-"Gotta Serve Somebody"

-When He Returns"

-"Saved"

-"Solid Rock"

-"In the Garden"

Judaism

-Influence on personal life

-Childhood

-Family

-Influence on lyrics

-"All Along the Watchtower"

-"Forever Young"

-"Neighborhood Bully"

Christianity: Personal Life

Actions and Statements

- "In late 1978, Dylan announced that he was a born-again Christian, and he launched a series of Christian albums" (AboutDylan)

- Dylan met with pastors from the Hollywood Vineyard Church at the bequest of his girlfriend, Mary Alice, who had dedicated her life to Christianity. He, subsequently, became a born-again Christian and joined the Vineyard Church.

-

"Years ago they ... said I was a prophet. I used to say, "No I'm not a prophet" they say "Yes you are, you're a prophet." I said, "No it's not me." They used to say "You sure are a prophet." They used to convince me I was a prophet. Now I come out and say Jesus Christ is the answer. They say, "Bob Dylan's no prophet." They just can't handle it" (BobDylanPro)

"Jesus is real and I wanted that" (BobDylanPro)

-

-His Christianity was looked down upon my many fans and artists. He lost many fans, because during performances he'd take breaks to preach to the crowd and confess his love for Jesus Christ.

Christianity: Lyrics

"When He Returns"

"Gotta Serve Somebody"

Christianity

-In these lyrics, Dylan proposes that people should "[s]urrender" their "crowns," because "He" (Jesus) will be returning to judge, "set up His throne," and set the world right (14,15,20).

-Stanza after stanza, Dylan describes all types of people and implies that no matter who a person is, what they're job is, or how they're identified they will inevitably have to serve someone. He presents two options on who to serve: the devil or the Lord. It is clear that Dylan is proposing people should serve the Lord.

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

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

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

Dylan *Not Performing

John Lennon's Response

-Interestingly, John Lennon, shortly before his death, responded to Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" with a song that presents another option for whom a person might serve. The song is titled, "Serve Yourself"

"Solid Rock"

Christianity

-In these lyrics, Dylan tells of the way he is "hangin' on to a solid rock" (1). The rock is representative of his faith, of Jesus, and of Christianity. This representation implies that Christianity is a strong, unwavering force on which to ground oneself. The lyrics also describe the way Jesus was mistreated on behalf of humanity.

Well, I’m hangin’ on to a solid rock

Made before the foundation of the world

And I won’t let go, and I can’t let go, won’t let go

And I can’t let go, won’t let go and I can’t let go no more

For me He was chastised, for me He was hated

For me He was rejected by a world that He created

Nations are angry, cursed are some

People are expecting a false peace to come

Well, I’m hangin’ on to a solid rock

Made before the foundation of the world

And I won’t let go and I can’t let go, won’t let go

And I can’t let go, won’t let go and I can’t let go no more

It’s the ways of the flesh to war against the spirit

Twenty-four hours a day you can feel it and you can hear it

Using all the devices under the sun

And He never give up ’til the battle’s lost or won

Well, I’m hangin’ on to a solid rock

Made before the foundation of the world

And I won’t let go and I can’t let go, won’t let go

And I can’t let go, won’t let go and I can’t let go no more

Dylan *Not Performing

"In the Garden"

"Saved"

Christianity

-These lyrics are simultaneously a declaration of Dylan's faith in the idea that Jesus, "the lamb / [s]aved" him from spiritual death and an offering of thanks to Jesus for that sacrifice (10,11).

Did they speak out against Him, did they dare?

Did they speak out against Him, did they dare?

The multitude wanted to make Him king, put a crown upon His head

Why did He slip away to a quiet place instead?

Did they speak out against Him, did they dare?

Did they speak out against Him, did they dare?

When He rose from the dead, did they believe?

When He rose from the dead, did they believe?

He said, “All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth”

Did they know right then and there what the power was worth?

When He rose from the dead, did they believe?

When He rose from the dead, did they believe?

When they came for Him in the garden, did they know?

When they came for Him in the garden, did they know?

Did they know He was the Son of God, did they know that He was Lord?

Did they hear when He told Peter, “Peter, put up your sword”?

When they came for Him in the garden, did they know?

When they came for Him in the garden, did they know?

When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear?

When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear?

Nicodemus came at night so he wouldn’t be seen by men

Saying, “Master, tell me why a man must be born again”

When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear?

When He spoke to them in the city, did they hear?

When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?

When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?

When He said, “Pick up your bed and walk, why must you criticize?

Same thing My Father do, I can do likewise”

When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?

When He healed the blind and crippled, did they see?

I was blinded by the devil

Born already ruined

Stone-cold dead

As I stepped out of the womb

By His grace I have been touched

By His word I have been healed

By His hand I’ve been delivered

By His spirit I’ve been sealed

I’ve been saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

Saved

And I’m so glad

Yes, I’m so glad

I’m so glad

So glad

I want to thank You, Lord

I just want to thank You, Lord

Thank You, Lord

By His truth I can be upright

By His strength I do endure

By His power I’ve been lifted

In His love I am secure

He bought me with a price

Freed me from the pit

Full of emptiness and wrath

And the fire that burns in it

Dylan Performing

I’ve been saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

Saved

And I’m so glad

Yes, I’m so glad

I’m so glad

So glad

I want to thank You, Lord

I just want to thank You, Lord

Thank You, Lord

Nobody to rescue me

Nobody would dare

I was going down for the last time

But by His mercy I’ve been spared

Not by works

But by faith in Him who called

For so long I’ve been hindered

For so long I’ve been stalled

I’ve been saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

By the blood of the lamb

Saved

Saved

And I’m so glad

Yes, I’m so glad

I’m so glad

So glad

I want to thank You, Lord

I just want to thank You, Lord

Thank You, Lord

Dylan Performing

Christianity

-These lyrics wonder at the people surrounding Jesus at the time he was taken from "the garden" of Gethsemane, as he "spoke [...] in the city, as "He healed," as he was crucified, and "[w]hen He rose from the dead" (1, 7, 14, 28). By questioning the attitudes, knowledge, and actions of the people surrounding Jesus at the aforementioned moments, Dylan is proposing that the story of Jesus and his resurrection is true.

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