A CHANGE IS GONNA COME

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

And then I go to see my brother
And I ask him to help me please
And he just 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, been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

By Sam Cooke. Performed on 23 Mar 1988 at The Omni, Atlanta, GA, during the sound-check. Also performed (only one verse) on 29 Apr 2003 at the Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ, billed as "The Hope Concert," the event was a benefit for Robert Bandiera Jr., son of the local band leader and guitarist Bobby Bandiera