This was written in 1979 by Bob Dylan. Listen to it in view of today’s problems.
From Front Page:
Maybe Bob Dylan is a prophet after all. On stage in Omaha back on Jan. 25, 1980, Dylan, in the midst of fierce controversy over having become a Christian, said, “Years ago they…said I was a prophet. I used to say, ‘No, I’m not a prophet.’ They’d 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.”
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?
Stella's Place 
Sometimes things like this really make you wonder. I will say that Bob Dylan was not on my Stella bingo card in ’23 or ’24. Powerful.
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I am really shocked. I had no idea. I never paid any attention to Bob Dylan. I didn’t like his voice and I never understood his lyrics. I had never heard that he had become a Christian or this song.
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Always considered him a master story teller…a true minstrel! This album is full of musical stories. It might be the first one he produced after taking some voice coaching.
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Wow! What a voice change!
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The lyrics in the 9th verse have changed over time.
Stella posted the official web site version.
There’s a Man up on a cross and He’s been crucified
Do you have any idea why or for who He died?
The lyrics on the official website are not the same as the lyrics sung on this ‘tube link.
Dylan sang in this link:
There’s a man up on a cross and He’s been crucified for you
Believe in His power that’s about all you got to do.
In 1981, in Norway, he sang a very different version during a live performance::
Bob Dylan – When You Gonna Wake Up (Oslo, Norway – July 9, 1981) (Official Audio)
There’s a man up on the cross and he’s been crucified
You know who he is and why he died
It’s seems more directed to Christians to wake up!
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