Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come Lyrics + Chords
Lyrics
I was born by the river in a little tent
And just like that river I've been running ever since
It's been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
Cos I don't know what's out there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
I go to the movie
And i go down town
Somebody keep telling me don't hang around
Its been along time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees
There were times when I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gone come, oh yes it will
Video
Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come (Official Lyric Video)
Meaning & Inspiration
Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," officially released with a lyric video in 2016, stands as a profound testament to enduring hope amidst immense struggle, a message deeply resonant with the spirit of biblical promise. While not explicitly a gospel song in its lyrical content, its soul-stirring plea for justice and eventual overcoming echoes the persistent faith of the prophets and the unwavering certainty of God's ultimate plan for redemption. Cooke himself stated the song was born from his personal experiences with racism and discrimination, a deep well of pain mirrored in the biblical narratives of a people yearning for liberation from oppression. The song speaks of walking and being weary, of trials and tribulations faced, much like the Israelites' journey through the wilderness or the suffering of Christ himself before his resurrection. There's a profound sense of witnessing hardship, of seeing the pain in the eyes of others, a sentiment akin to the prophet Isaiah’s lamentations for a broken people, yet beneath this sorrow lies an unshakeable conviction that a turning point is inevitable. This enduring belief in a coming transformation, a shift from hardship to peace, directly correlates with scriptural assurances found throughout the Old and New Testaments, where God repeatedly promises deliverance and restoration. Consider the words in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” a divine declaration of future prosperity that parallels Cooke's confident assertion that change is not only possible but certain. The song's power lies in its raw honesty about the present difficulties, the feeling of being "scared to live, and scared to die," a human vulnerability that draws strength from an unseen source, much like David wrestling with his fears in the Psalms yet always returning to his trust in the Almighty. Ultimately, "A Change Is Gonna Come" is more than a civil rights anthem; it is a spiritual declaration of faith in the possibility of a brighter tomorrow, a testament to the enduring human spirit's capacity to believe in a coming justice, a hope that finds its deepest roots in the divine promises of a world made new.