A small wooden cross with pale cloth draped over its arms stands on dark stones against purple.

Original artwork, not a still

Bob Dylan

Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said, Bob, why are you resisting me? I said, I’m not resisting you! He said, You gonna follow me? I said, I’ve never thought about that before! He said, When you’re not following me, you’re resisting me.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker recounts a spiritual exchange in which they deny resisting and admit they'd never considered following. The reply they report is that there is no neutral ground: anyone not following is, in effect, resisting.

Context reviewed

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