False Prophet

False Prophet is the 2nd song on Bob Dylan's 39th studio album Rough and Rowdy Ways. It was released as the 3rd and final single for the album. It is based on Billy 'The Kid' Emerson's song "If Lovin' is Believing" (released on Sun Records in 1954). The song's title is based off how in the 1960s, Dylan was called a "prophet" by the news and media.

Background
On April 17, 2020, Dylan released the 2nd single for his forthcoming, yet-to-be-announced album. On May 7, 2020, Dylan tweeted "What are you lookin' at - there's nothing to see.", a lyric from the song. It featured the single artwork without the text in the bottom-left corner announcing the album. The following day, May 8, Dylan released the song and announced the album on the cover.

The song features references to previous Dylan songs (1963's "When the Ship Comes In" and 1967's "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine") and previous songs in general (1961's "Hello, Mary Lou" and 1960's "Only the Lonely"). It is about mortality, the underlying theme of the album as every song can be perceived to be about death. The line "I'm the last of the best" refers to how Dylan has stayed alive and is still making music, as the deaths of Little Richard and John Prine were grieved by Dylan publicly.

Music
The music is entirely based off of Billy 'The Kid' Emerson's 1954 single "If Lovin' is Believing". The main riffs are played with a slide by Blake Mills and the rhythm parts are played by Bob Dylan. Tony Garnier plays bass and Matt Chamberlain plays drums. It also references, musically, Dylan's 1966 song "Pledging My Time".

The song is in C Minor.

Personnel

 * Bob Dylan – vocals, rhythm guitar
 * Blake Mills – lead guitar (slide)
 * Tony Garnier – bass
 * Matt Chamberlain – drums