When You Gonna Wake Up?

1979 was a dramatic year in Bob-land. Slow Train Coming marked a rather surprising turn in Bob Dylan’s career, kicking off his gospel period. This first of three Gospel inspired and infused albums, Slow Train was produced by Jerry Wexler and featured Mark Knopfler on guitar. The album blends polished blues-rock with overtly Christian themes, earning Dylan a Grammy for “Gotta Serve Somebody” and sparking both acclaim and controversy.

“When You Gonna Wake Up?” is not subtle. It's a jeremiad set to music — urgent, accusatory, and unapologetically moral. (To younger readers: do you know the origin of the word "jeremiad?")

The song functions as a wake-up call to a culture Dylan saw drifting into spiritual and moral confusion. He indicts political ideologies (“Karl Marx has got ya by the throat”), moral compromise (“adulterers in churches”), corrupt institutions, and a society obsessed with wealth and self-gratification. The refrain — “When you gonna wake up and strengthen the things that remain?”— echoes the language of Revelation, reinforcing the song’s prophetic tone.

What makes the song powerful is not its policy commentary but its spiritual urgency. Dylan’s target is not merely government or culture; it's human hearts. He challenges listeners to reconsider their assumptions about God, materialism, and moral responsibility. The line “You think He’s just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires” addresses a lot of people's ideas about God. 

My personal feeling is that even if you're put off by the religious iconography, the repetitious refrain is exceedingly relevant in secular applications as well. Does your life feel stale, like you're drifting? When you gonna wake up? Are you drinking too much, partying too hard, eating too much, wasting too much time doing nothing? Ignoring responsibilities? Too absorbed in your self? When you gonna wake up? When are you going to do something about it?

Critics have sometimes faulted Dylan’s Gospel-era songs for their bluntness. And indeed, this is not the elliptical Dylan of “Visions of Johanna” or the ambiguity-laden "All Along The Watchtower." 

“When You Gonna Wake Up?” is both a fierce cultural critique and a personal challenge — less concerned with pleasing listeners than with shaking them. Whether one agrees with its theology or not, its urgency is unmistakable. 

When You Gonna Wake Up?

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

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

Refrain: 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

Refrain: When you gonna wake up...

(EdNote: Here Dylan frames ideology itself as a kind of captivity. “Counterfeit philosophies” suggests systems of thought that promise liberation but ultimately distort reality, something akin to a fog machine. By invoking Karl Marx and Henry Kissinger, Dylan spans the political spectrum—leftist economic theory on one side, realpolitik power politics on the other. In hindsight I've wondered if the word "realpolitik" was invented to distance the name from what it really is: Machiavellianism.) 

You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled

You got unrighteous doctors dealing drugs that’ll never cure your ills

Refrain: When you gonna wake up...

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

Refrain: When you gonna wake up...

Adulterers in churches and pornography in the schools

You got gangsters in power and lawbreakers making rules

Refrain: When you gonna wake up...

Do you ever wonder just what God requires?

You think He’s just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires

Refrain: When you gonna wake up...

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

Refrain: When you gonna wake up...

There’s a Man up on a cross and He’s been crucified

Do you have any idea why or for who He died?

Refrain: When you gonna wake up...

Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music

Dylan's Evocative Declaration of Faith: I Believe In You

Warfield Theater, November 8 1979
Photo courtesy Bill Pagel

Bob Dylan’s “I Believe in You” stands as one of the most unguarded and quietly brave songs of his career. The third track on his Slow Train Coming album, it was written during his much-debated Christian period. It is not a sermon, a provocation, or a theological argument. It is a plainspoken, vulnerable, and resolute confession.

What makes the song stand out is its emotional temperature. Dylan does not present faith as triumphal or conquering, but as isolating and costly. The speaker is misunderstood, gently ostracized, even driven “a thousand miles from home.” The resistance he encounters feels social rather than abstract—frowns, closed doors, exile. Faith here is not rewarded with belonging; it creates distance and isolation. And yet the song refuses bitterness. Instead, it offers steadiness.

Musically and lyrically, Dylan strips away irony. The language is simple, almost childlike, but never naïve. Repetition becomes devotion: “I believe in you” is less a declaration of certainty than an act of persistence. Belief is something maintained—through tears and laughter, winter and summer, when being outnumbered or forsaken.  

What unsettled many listeners in 1979 was not merely Dylan’s Christianity, but his sincerity. Dylan had long thrived on masks, ambiguity, and reinvention. Here, he risks directness. The song’s power lies in that risk. It asks nothing of the listener except to witness a man choosing faith over approval.

The issue some Dylan followers may have had with this song, and his overt Gospel period in general, was this straightforwardness that didn't require any deciphering. It was all on the table, no sleight of hand in the lyrics. 

In retrospect, “I Believe in You” was not really an anomaly. For years he repeatedly incorporated spiritual themes in his work. (There are countless Biblical references in John Wesley Harding alone.) This song reveals Dylan’s lifelong preoccupation with commitment—ethical, artistic, spiritual—and the loneliness such commitment can entail. Whether one shares the belief itself is beside the point. The song endures because it honors the human cost of conviction, and the quiet courage it takes to say, simply and without apology: I believe.

For some, the problem was Jesus, who once said, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you." The visceral public rejection (by some) of this Gospel phase in Dylan's career corresponded with the rejection of his new Señor. Dylan's response to this rejection is detailed in the song "Solid Rock" from his follow-up album Saved. "Well, I'm hanging on to a solid rock." 

Dylan performed "I Believe In You" 259 times from 1979 to 2009.

They ask me how I feel

And if my love is real

And how I know I’ll make it through

And they, they look at me and frown

They’d like to drive me from this town

They don’t want me around

’Cause I believe in you

They show me to the door

They say don’t come back no more

’Cause I don’t be like they’d like me to

And I walk out on my own

A thousand miles from home

But I don’t feel alone

’Cause I believe in you

I believe in you even through the tears and the laughter

I believe in you even though we be apart

I believe in you even on the morning after

Oh, when the dawn is nearing

Oh, when the night is disappearing

Oh, this feeling is still here in my heart

Don’t let me drift too far

Keep me where you are

Where I will always be renewed

And that which you’ve given me today

Is worth more than I could pay

And no matter what they say

I believe in you

I believe in you when winter turn to summer

I believe in you when white turn to black

I believe in you even though I be outnumbered

Oh, though the earth may shake me

Oh, though my friends forsake me

Oh, even that couldn’t make me go back

Don’t let me change my heart

Keep me set apart

From all the plans they do pursue

And I, I don’t mind the pain

Don’t mind the driving rain

I know I will sustain

’Cause I believe in you

Copyright © 1979 by Special Rider Music

Bob Dylan's "Saving Grace" Offers Comfort in a Time of Need

"It gets discouraging at times, but I know I’ll make it By the saving grace that’s over me."--Bob Dylan

Over the course of years there have been countless lists generated with rankings of Dylan songs, Dylan album covers and Dylan albums. I suspect that there may even be lists (generated by fans who have seen 50 to 300 or more shows) ranking Dylan concerts. 

When if comes to albums, I don't think I've ever seen Dylan's Saved album get tagged in the top half of any list, and usually it's pushed as far from the front as possible. For example in this list by Ultimate Classic Rock, it is ranked third last behind Dylan (1973) and Self-Portrait (1970). I was in college those years and actually enjoyed Dylan's album of covers (Dylan),though I will concede it was different.  

Paste Magazine ranked Saved as the very worst of the worst, #39 of 39. Reviewer Matt Mitchell calls it the least inspired writing of Dylan's career—"not to mention the arrangements, which meld rock ‘n’ roll and gospel to a nauseating degree..." To Mitchell's credit he doesn't just toss all three albums from Dylan's Gospel Trilogy into the same trash bin outright. Shot of Love get a #27 rank and Slow Train Coming a #24, each of which have some great songs on them.

In 2022 Tom Rice, editor of the Chamblee High School newspaper Blue & Gold, ranked 33 Dylan albums, placing Saved one slot from the gutter, only ahead of Down in the Groove. I was impressed, however, by the thoughtful analysis and original approach Tom took here, an insightful and entertaining read. So cool to see another generation finding relevance in Dylan's decades-long catalog.

Now my personal take is that Saved has to be evaluated for what it is, not for what critics or fans want it to be. Essentially it is a heartfelt gospel album. The songs here are offered as a gift to gospel believers much like the hymns of old, giving voice to Biblical concepts and encouragement to faith. 

For a truly uplifting recording of Dylan's purest gospel songs check out the 2003 recording of Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan featuring an array of Black gospel singers interpreting songs from Saved and Slow Train. Aaron Neville's version of "Saving Grace" is especially poignant. In fact, when I read the opening stanza of this song, I hear Aaron Neville's voice in my head, singing...

If you find it in Your heart, can I be forgiven?

Guess I owe You some kind of apology

I’ve escaped death so many times, I know I’m only living

By the saving grace that’s over me

* * * 

Out of curiosity, I decided to ask ChatGPT to write a brief review of the album Saved and here's what ChatGPT had to say:

Bob Dylan's "Saved" album, released in 1980, stands as a unique and often overlooked gem in his extensive discography. Amidst the controversy and mixed critical reception surrounding his previous Christian-themed album Slow Train Coming, Saved continues Dylan's exploration of his newfound faith with fervor and conviction.

The album opens with the spirited title track, setting the tone for what follows—a collection of gospel-infused songs that blend Dylan's signature poetic lyricism with soulful melodies and fervent vocal delivery. Tracks like "Covenant Woman" and "What Can I Do for You?" showcase Dylan's ability to weave biblical themes into deeply personal and introspective narratives, while "Solid Rock" and "Pressing On" exude an infectious energy and optimism.

One of the album's highlights is undoubtedly "In the Garden," a hauntingly beautiful ballad that reflects Dylan's spiritual journey with profound sincerity. With its ethereal atmosphere and poignant lyrics, it serves as a poignant meditation on faith and redemption.

While Saved may not have achieved the same commercial success as some of Dylan's other works, its significance lies in its raw honesty and unapologetic exploration of religious themes. Dylan's impassioned vocals and the album's soulful instrumentation create a powerful listening experience that resonates with believers and non-believers alike.

Overall, Saved stands as a testament to Bob Dylan's fearless artistic evolution and unwavering commitment to expressing his truth. It may not be considered one of his classic albums, but its spiritual depth and emotional resonance make it a compelling and underrated entry in Dylan's vast body of work.

* * * 

It's Personal

I've said more a hundred times that there is a Dylan line or lyric for nearly any situation. I wrote about this song today because ten days ago I had a stroke and the last line of this song, which I consider a gem, has accompanied me on this journey back toward health:

"It gets discouraging at times, but I know I’ll make it By the saving grace that’s over me."

EdNote: The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, meaning “good story,” a rendering of the Latin evangelium and the Greek euangelion, meaning “good news” or “good telling.” --Britannica

Saving Grace

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/saving-grace/

Flashback Friday: Man Gave Names to All the Animals

Gospel-phase Dylan, SF 1979*

Jann Wenner's 1979 Rolling Stone review of Slow Train Coming makes the following bold statement about this new phase in Dylan's career: "It takes only one listening to realize that Slow Train Coming (Columbia Records) is the best album Bob Dylan has made since The Basement Tapes (recorded with the Band in 1967 but not released until 1975). The more I hear the new album — at least fifty times since early July — the more I feel that it's one of the finest records Dylan has ever made. In time, it is possible that it might even be considered his greatest."

Wenner's review seems to diss his late 70's work (which many fans -- including myself -- consider rich and underrated) but without doubt Slow Train did reverberate in ways that nothing else had since the mid-Sixties. No one questions the production values of this first of Dylan's three "Gospel" albums. His passion for this work comes through in its attention to detail throughout.

When he took it to the road, this shift to a Christian viewpoint may have been off-putting to many of his fans that year, but it wasn't the first time he encountered boos. My brother and his wife attended a Philadelphia Dylan concert at the time in which their third row seats were directly behind a row of drunks who spent quite a bit of energy hurling abuse toward the stage.

This song came to mind last night while I was doing a series of pen, brush and ink illustrations for a logo my daughter had asked me to design. After completing the farm animals it was a simple matter to make the bear and the snake.

Though the song has had its detractors, in the grand scheme of things Dylan must have liked it as he performed Man Gave Names in concert 155 times from 1979 at the Warfield (where the photo above was taken) to Stockholm, Sweden in 1991.

For me the song was fun the very first time I heard it, and is fun to this day. As in all his songs it isn't just the words, but how he sings them that makes them enjoyable or thought-provoking or whatever. In this case, fun. "He saw milk comin' out but he didn't know how. 'Ah, think I'll call it a cow.'" That little "ah" pause makes it hilarious. Like Adam is thinking about all this, deliberating the way a child would. Maybe we have to be like little children to appreciate its reggae-inspired simplicity.

A number of artists have covered Man Gave Names To All the Animals including Townes Van Zandt. It's based, obviously, on the creation story found in Genesis 1:19-20. The manner in which Dylan leaves the last creature unnamed is a nice little zinger to walk away with. In a light-hearted way the story leaves off with a reminder that there is real danger in the world. Innocence isn't forever.

Man Gave Names to All the Animals

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

* Photo courtesy Bill Pagel, November 8, 1979
Setlist for that night at the Warfield Theater.
This song was fifth on the setlist that evening.
Illustrations courtesy Ed Newman

This blog post was originally published June 30, 2015

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