A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke (Abkco Music, Inc., c. 1964)
As sung and adapted by Otis Redding
I was born by the river, oh my,
In this little old tent.
And just like this river,
I've been running ever since.
It's been a long, long time coming,
But I know, but I know,
That a change has gotta come, now.
Oh yes it is, my oh my oh my oh my.
It's been too hard livin', oh my,
And I'm afraid to die.
I don't know what's up there,
Beyond the sky.
It's been a long, long time coming,
But I know, but I know,
That a change has gotta come.
Oh yes it is, my oh my oh my.
I go to the movie and I go downtown,
But somebody keep telling me don't hang around.
There's a time,
I will go to my brother, oh my.
I would ask my brother,
Will you help me please, oh now oh now?
He turned me down.
And then I asked my dear mother, oh my oh,
I said mother, I said mother,
I'm down on my knees.
It's been time that I go,
Lord it's too late.
Very long, oh now oh,
Somehow I thought I was still able,
To try to carry on.
It's been along, long time coming,
But I know,
That a change is gonna come.
Oh yes it is.
Huh, just like I said.
I went to my little bitty brother, oh my, my little brother,
I asked my brother, brother help me please, oh now,
He turned me down.
And then I go to my little mother, my dear mother, oh now, huh,
I said mother, I said mother I'm down on my knees.
But there was a time that I go,
Lord it's too late, too late.
So very long, oh my oh,
Somehow I thought I was still able,
To try to carry on.
It's been a long long time coming,
But I know, but I know,
That change has gotta come, oh.
It's been so long, It's been so long
A little too long,
But a change is gotta come.
So tired, so tired of suffering,
Standing by myself.
Have given up a home,
But a change has gotta come.
You know, you know that I know.
And I know that you know.
Honey, That a change is gonna come, oh now, oh my...
In loving memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968
"Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I'm free at last."