Gotta Serve Somebody
Shirley Caesar Lyrics

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may have a high status and represent your country in foreign nations

You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may have various hobbies, including doing things that involve risk and being active

You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be the best in your field and have achieved great success

You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
You may be part of the elite and enjoy luxury and material possessions

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
Regardless of your status, you have to answer to a higher power or authority

Indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody
This is not negotiable, you will have to choose who you will serve

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
Your ultimate loyalty will either be to the forces of evil or to God

But you're gonna have to serve somebody
This is a fundamental truth of life that cannot be avoided

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage
You might have a passion for music and performing for crowds

You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage
You might have access to anything you desire, including things that may not be good for you or others

You may be a business man or
You might be someone who is driven by the pursuit of financial gain

Some high-degree thief,
Or you might be someone who seeks to acquire things through illegal means

They may call you doctor or they may call you chief
You might have achieved high status in your profession or in a leadership position

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk
You might have a job in law enforcement or be a person seeking to change the established order

You may be the head of some big TV network
You might have influence over the way society thinks and behaves

You may be rich or poor
You might have wealth or live in poverty

You may be blind or lame
You might have disabilities or challenges that limit your abilities

You may be living in another country under another name
You might be living under an assumed identity or in a location different from where you were born

You may be a construction worker working on a home
You might be doing manual labor to build or improve homes for others

You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome
You might have a spacious and luxurious home or live in an unconventional dwelling

You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might have access to powerful weapons and tools of war

You might be somebody's landlord
You might rent out property to others and have power over their living situation

You might even own banks
You might have control over financial institutions and the flow of money in society

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You might be someone who teaches others about faith and believes in your own spiritual authority

You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You might be someone in a position of power who takes advantage of that power for personal gain

You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You might have a common job and a practical skill

You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir
You might be someone who is in a romantic relationship outside of the traditional framework, or someone who is set to inherit wealth and status

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk
You might have preferences for different fabrics or styles of clothing

Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk
You might have different preferences for alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages

You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You might have preferences for different kinds of food, whether luxurious or simple

You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed
You might have different living arrangements, whether comfortable or not

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy
People might know you by different names

You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy
You might have different nicknames or aliases

You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray
People might know you by different names or use different shortened versions of your name

You may call me anything but no matter what you say
You might have different identities or names, but the fact remains that you will have to serve someone

You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
This message is important and universal, no one can escape it

Indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody
This is a fundamental truth of life that must be acknowledged

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
You will ultimately serve either the forces of evil or God

But you're gonna have to serve somebody
This is a simple fact of life that cannot be ignored