Tag Archives: Bob Dylan

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When You Gonna Wake Up?

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[Thought for the Day]

Lyrics by Bob Dylan (from Slow Train Coming, 1979)

God don’t make no promises that He don’t keep.
You got some big dreams, baby, but in order to dream you gotta still be asleep.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

Counterfeit philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts.
Karl Marx has got ya by the throat, Henry Kissinger’s got you tied up in knots.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled,
You got unrighteous doctors dealing drugs that’ll never cure your ills.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

You got men who can’t hold their peace and women who can’t control their tongues,
The rich seduce the poor and the old are seduced by the young.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools,
You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move,
Instant inner peace and every step you take has got to be approved.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

Do you ever wonder just what God requires?
You think He’s just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

You can’t take it with you and you know that it’s too worthless to be sold,
They tell you, “Time is money” as if your life was worth its weight in gold.

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

There’s a Man up on a cross and He’s been crucified.
Do you have any idea why or for who He died?

When you gonna wake up, when you gonna wake up
When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?

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Forever Young by Bob Dylan, illustrated by Paul Rogers

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Forever Young – a new hardback picture book, just released (September, 2008). If there is an anthem for the boomer generation (and, having been born in 1955, I am a member), this song is probably it.

Written by the balladeer of the boomer generation, Bob Dylan, the song Forever Young was released in 1974 on the album Planet Waves.

And now, Paul Rogers has created an illustrated children’s book that gently and sweetly captures the sense of the lyrics.

Dylan is an incredibly gifted songwriter, and these lyrics were written for his then five-year-old son, Jakob – now a successful songwriter and performer in his own right.

The book will be a fun one for boomers to read to their children (or, let’s be honest folks) to our grand-children. It’s also very timely, as the first of the boomers are now in the early sixties, and the rest of the cohort (ahem, that would include me!) will turn 60 within the next 10 years.

Rogers uses the lyrics to retell Dylan’s own story in pictures, from his first guitar, through adolescent performances in the park, to the folk music scene in New York City and his involvement in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam war movements.

But the song remains much more personal than political and is a remarkably thoughtful and moving expression of a father’s blessing for his son.

Forever Young is a hardback, 32 pages, and may be ordered directly from Greenleaf Press for $17.99 (just click on any of the links in this message.)

– Rob Shearer, Publisher
Greenleaf Press

And because this is the 21st century and the internet is such a versatile tool, here’s Bob Dylan singing Forever Young, and the lyrics below.

[audio: http://www.redhatrob.com/audio/Bob_Dylan_Forever_Young.mp3|titles=Forever Young]

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