The article on "Bob Dylan's Faith in Christianity" follows my "Pressing On" playlist lyrics below. If you have an Apple Music account you can also:
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Father of Night
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
Father of night, Father of day
Father, who taketh the darkness away
Father, who teacheth the bird to fly
Builder of rainbows up in the sky
Father of loneliness and pain
Father of love and Father of rain
Father of day, Father of night
Father of black, Father of white
Father, who build the mountain so high
Who shapeth the cloud up in the sky
Father of time, Father of dreams
Father, who turneth the rivers and streams
Father of grain, Father of wheat
Father of cold and Father of heat
Father of air and Father of trees
Who dwells in our hearts and our memories
Father of minutes, Father of days
Father of whom we most solemnly praise
Copyright © 1970 by Big Sky Music; renewed 1998 by Big Sky Music
Man Gave Names to All the Animals
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
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 by Special Rider Music
Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
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 by Special Rider Music
Covenant Woman
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
Covenant woman got a contract with the Lord
Way up yonder, great will be her reward
Covenant woman, shining like a morning star
I know I can trust you to stay the way you are
And I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
I just got to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
I will forever be
I’ve been broken, shattered like an empty cup
I’m just waiting on the Lord to rebuild and fill me up
And I know He will do it ’cause He’s faithful and He’s true
He must have loved me so much to send me someone as fine as you
And I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
I just got to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
I will forever be
Covenant woman, intimate little girl
Who knows those most secret things of me that are hidden from the world
You know we are strangers in a land we’re passing through
I’ll always be right by your side, I’ve got a covenant too
And I just got to tell you
I do intend
To stay closer than any friend
I just got to thank you
Once again
For making your prayers known
Unto heaven for me
And to you, always, so grateful
I will forever be
Copyright © 1980 by Special Rider Music
Gotta Serve Somebody
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
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
What Can I Do for You?
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
You have given everything to me
What can I do for You?
You have given me eyes to see
What can I do for You?
Pulled me out of bondage and You made me renewed inside
Filled up a hunger that had always been denied
Opened up a door no man can shut and You opened it up so wide
And You’ve chosen me to be among the few
What can I do for You?
You have laid down Your life for me
What can I do for You?
You have explained every mystery
What can I do for You?
Soon as a man is born, you know the sparks begin to fly
He gets wise in his own eyes and he’s made to believe a lie
Who would deliver him from the death he’s bound to die?
Well, You’ve done it all and there’s no more anyone can pretend to do
What can I do for You?
You have given all there is to give
What can I give to You?
You have given me life to live
How can I live for You?
I know all about poison, I know all about fiery darts
I don’t care how rough the road is, show me where it starts
Whatever pleases You, tell it to my heart
Well, I don’t deserve it but I sure did make it through
What can I do for You?
Copyright © 1980 by Special Rider Music
Solid Rock
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
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
But, 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 every anger under the sun
And He never give up ’til the battle’s lost or won
But, 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
Copyright © 1980 by Special Rider Music
In the Summertime
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
I was in your presence for an hour or so
Or was it a day? I truly don’t know
Where the sun never set, where the trees hung low
By that soft and shining sea
Did you respect me for what I did
Or for what I didn’t do, or for keeping it hid?
Did I lose my mind when I tried to get rid
Of everything you see?
In the summertime, ah in the summertime
In the summertime, when you were with me
I got the heart and you got the blood
We cut through iron and we cut through mud
Then came the warnin’ that was before the flood
That set everybody free
Fools they made a mock of sin
Our loyalty they tried to win
But you were closer to me than my next of kin
When they didn’t want to know or see
In the summertime, ah in the summertime
In the summertime when you were with me
Strangers, they meddled in our affairs
Poverty and shame was theirs
But all that sufferin’ was not to be compared
With the glory that is to be
And I’m still carrying the gift you gave
It’s a part of me now, it’s been cherished and saved
It’ll be with me unto the grave
And then unto eternity
In the summertime, ah in the summertime
In the summertime when you were with me
Copyright © 1981 by Special Rider Music
Pressing On
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
Well I’m pressing on
Yes, I’m pressing on
Well I’m pressing on
To the higher calling of my Lord
Many try to stop me, shake me up in my mind
Say, “Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign”
What kind of sign they need when it all come from within
When what’s lost has been found, what’s to come has already been?
Well I’m pressing on
Yes, I’m pressing on
Well I’m pressing on
To the higher calling of my Lord
Shake the dust off of your feet, don’t look back
Nothing can hold you down, nothing that you lack
Temptation’s not an easy thing, Adam given the devil reign
Because he sinned I got no choice, it run in my vein
Well I’m pressing on
Yes, I’m pressing on
Well I’m pressing on
To the higher calling of my Lord
Copyright © 1980 by Special Rider Music
Forever Young
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
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
Copyright © 1973 by Ram's Horn Music; renewed 2001 by Ram’s Horn Music
When He Returns
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
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 world 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 by Special Rider Music
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WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN
It was 1978 when Bob Dylan, in the middle of a yearlong tour, turned to God. The singer-songwriter was exhausted, physically ill and worn down from his 1977 divorce. Toward the end of a show in San Diego, someone from the crowd tossed a small silver cross onto the stage. Dylan, who normally wasn’t fazed by fans throwing things at his concerts, spotted the religious object and placed it in his pocket. It traveled with him to Arizona for his next performance.
Two days later, in a hotel room in Tucson, the Jewish artist experienced "a literal visitation from Jesus Christ."
Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's decades-long career is being explored in a new book. (Thierry Orban/Sygma via Getty Images)
The Nobel laureate’s born-again era is one of the many periods from his decades-long career being explored in a new book, "Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine." It features hundreds of rare photos, draft lyrics, drawings and other materials from Dylan’s archives.
The book is edited by Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel of the Bob Dylan Center, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. "Mixing Up the Medicine" refers to a line from Dylan’s 1965 classic "Subterranean Homesick Blues."
Bob Dylan was married to Sara Lownds from 1965-1977. They share four children. (Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
"This project has been six or seven years in the making," Davidson told Fox News Digital. "One of the surprising things that we find in the early notebooks, early draft manuscripts, is how much he was forecasting his career… he’s been omnivorous about his musical tastes and knowledge since pretty much when he was a teenager."
"Bob Dylan: Mixing up the Medicine" was edited by Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel of the Bob Dylan Center. (Callaway)
One of the periods that continues to fascinate both longtime fans and curious listeners is Dylan’s religious period. He proclaimed his faith in three albums: 1979’s "Slow Train Coming," 1980’s "Saved" and 1981’s "Shot of Love."
"Dylan was on this long, grueling tour where he had this enormous orchestra just because of the number of pieces in the band alone," Fishel explained. "It’s in the double digits. They’re going all over the world. It starts in Japan and makes its way through Australia and New Zealand. Then it goes to Europe, and then it comes to North America. This moment when the crucifix is being thrown on the stage… is at the end of that."
A concert in San Diego would forever change Bob Dylan's life. (David Redfern/Redferns)
"Clearly that had been a long year for him," Fishel continued. "’Slow Train Coming’ is exactly that, the moment of him getting the crucifix, which sets in motion this… embrace of Christianity… He’s recording exclusively gospel music, but these were themes he was exploring long before that cross was thrown on the stage in San Diego. If you look at his drafts written in stationery from hotel rooms, in between or after gigs, it predates that."
Bob Dylan at a press conference on his first visit to Japan in 1978 in the middle of a grueling world tour. (Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
Dylan described his vision as "a presence… that couldn’t have been anybody but Jesus," the U.K.’s Independent reported.
"Jesus put his hand on me," he said, as quoted by the outlet. "It was a physical thing. I felt it. I felt it all over me. I felt my whole body tremble. The glory of the Lord knocked me down and picked me up."
Fishel described this period as "a creatively fruitful time" for Dylan as he dove into a deep exploration of gospel for the next two years.
Bob Dylan's embrace of Christianity led to three albums during this period. (Steve Morley/Redferns)
"This hardcore embrace of Christianity starts to peter out," Fishel explained. "It starts to broaden, but it never disappears. All those biblical themes had been throughout Dylan’s work even from the beginning and bubbled up at different times… It becomes more complex as his work progresses."
In "Precious Angel" from "Slow Train Coming," Dylan declared, "Ya either got faith or ya got unbelief / And there ain’t no neutral ground."
But not everyone embraced Dylan’s public conversion with open arms. Fishel noted that many skeptical listeners didn’t hesitate to let him know they "missed the old Dylan."
Bob Dylan performing in San Francisco, circa 1979. (Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Loyal disciples who stood by Dylan as a folk poet, country crooner and electric rocker shunned the musical preacher. Fred Tackett, the lead guitarist in Dylan’s band from 1979 to 1981, recalled to The New York Times how one concertgoer in the front row held a sign that read, "Jesus loves your old songs."
The book reveals how Tackett witnessed protests from atheist activist Madalyn O’Hair and "a guy dressed in white with… a literal full cross walking up and down in front of the theater."
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards reportedly labeled the fellow star a "prophet of profit." A critic for the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "Dylan has written some of the most banal, uninspired and inventionless songs of his career for his Jesus phase," with the headline "Bob Dylan’s God-Awful Gospel."
Not everyone embraced Bob Dylan's public conversion to Christianity. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
"If you didn’t like it then, you’re still not going to like it now," Fishel pointed out. "Amanda Petrusich, a writer from The New Yorker and a contributor to this book, wrote a great piece about where America was at the moment, why this didn’t come out of left field, and how evangelicalism was on the rise. These were all threads Dylan could pull and latch onto. But despite the fan reaction, it’s personally one of my favorite periods. It’s so rich, multilayered and dynamic. And the band he played with was one of the best he’s ever had."
Bob Dylan "toyed" with critics who were outspoken about his gospel tracks. (Peter Noble/Redferns)
"And he was embraced by the evangelical audience," Fishel shared. "And for those who didn’t embrace it, Dylan toyed with that. There’s a wonderful radio commercial that Dylan created for his 1980 tour. He’s still playing gospel music exclusively. And if you didn’t know better, you would hear these random fans being interviewed who said, ‘I like the old Bob Dylan. I don’t need him doing this gospel stuff.' But in the archives, we found out that there’s a script and these were people who were tapped to read these lines about their reactions to Dylan’s show."
"He’s very aware of his audience," Fishel continued. "And I think that’s part of the reason why this period is so interesting. Musically, these songs are among his most lasting. Certainly the ones from ‘Shot of Love’ are still in his set list… Some people may not be musically on board, but they’re certainly still fascinated by it."
Bob Dylan poses for a portrait circa 1986 in Los Angeles. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)
Following the release of the 1983 album "Infidels," Dylan told Rolling Stone, "I’ve never said I’m born again," noting that the phrase is "just a media term."
"I don’t think I’ve ever been an agnostic," Dylan told the outlet. "I’ve always thought there’s a superior power, that this is not the real world, and that there’s a world to come. That no soul has died, every soul is alive, either in holiness or in flames. And there’s probably a lot of middle ground."
Bob Dylan met Pope John Paul II in 1997. (Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
"There’s no way you’re gonna convince me this is all there is to it," he continued. "I never, ever believed that. I believe in the Book of Revelation. The leaders of this world are eventually going to play God if they’re not already playing God, and eventually, a man will come that everybody will think is God. He’ll do things, and they’ll say, 'Well, only God can do those things. It must be him.’"
Bob Dylan performs while promoting his 1981 album "Shot of Love." (Thierry Orban/Sygma via Getty Images)
The book noted that in 1983, Dylan "had rethought his specifically Christian devotion without abandoning biblical references and images of [the] apocalypse."
Over the years, Dylan has undergone numerous transformations as an artist. And at 82, he’s still touring.
"I’m not a fan of packaged programs or news shows, so I don’t watch them," he told The Wall Street Journal in 2022. "I never watch anything foul-smelling or evil. Nothing disgusting; nothing dog a--. I’m a religious person. I read the scriptures a lot, meditate and pray, light candles in church. I believe in damnation and salvation, as well as predestination. The Five Books of Moses, Pauline Epistles, Invocation of the Saints, all of it."
Today, Bob Dylan is still hitting the road. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for VH1)
Davidson said Dylan continues to intrigue because "he has always defied expectations."
"The surprise of Dylan becoming a Christian and then creating this trilogy of gospel records may seem sort of like a shocking left turn… But in the book, we show how those seeds were planted," said Davidson. "And I am deeply grateful for all the left turns that Dylan has taken throughout his career because it's exactly what makes writing a book about him so interesting."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.
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