All I Can Do Is Be Me -
Whoever That Is
Bob Dylan
Who are we? Do we follow the motivations of the world, and provide the world with a personality we think they want, or do we follow the spirit working within us?
In Todd Hayne’s 2007 interpretation of Bob Dylan’s life, “I’m Not There,” the director used six different actors to represent six different periods of Dylan’s life. What is fascinating about this approach is how well it captures those different periods of Dylan’s career as well as embodying the Dylan mystique.
While Dylan’s shifting personas reflect more about his changing interests in music and in life even when those weren’t popular (electric period, Christian period), it is the rare person who doesn’t find themselves tempted to be a certain way with one group of people and another way with a different group.
As Dylan’s lyrics to Pressing On testify, a song featured in the movie, we are called to follow the higher calling of our Lord.
Pressing On
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 now 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.
