I was born by the river in a little tent

'A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam CookeLyrics: I was born by the river in a little tentOh, and just like the river I’ve been a-runnin’ ever since.It’s been a l.
Change Gonna Come is one of those songs that hit the heart of where there's no limitation to our imagination. It discretely, yet directly addresses the ills of Society when a separtist few attempt to marginalize and limit the necessary contributions of the many, the problem of Racism in America.
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.
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Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupA Change Is Gonna Come Sam Cooke30 Greatest Hits: Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964℗ 2008 ABKCO Music & Records, I.

Quick Thought

Sam Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on January 22nd, 1931.

Deep Thought

Cooke was indeed born by the river. Clarksdale is located in northwestern Mississippi along the Sunflower River in the Mississippi Delta. It's hard to say whether or not Cooke was really raised in a little tent—we're guessing probably not—but this line captures the sense that Cooke was born to a family of humble means in the Jim Crow South.

Just like the river I've been running ever since

Quick Thought

Sam Cooke's family, like many other African Americans fleeing the Jim Crow South, participated in the early twentieth-century Great Migration to northern urban areas.

Deep Thought

Sam Cooke's family moved to Chicago in 1933, when young Sam was just two years old. Like many Southern Black families at the time, the Cookes probably moved to Chicago both to escape racism in the South and to look for the better jobs then coming available in northern industrial centers. And once Sam Cooke became a musician—a career which took him touring all over the land—he really never stopped moving.

It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die
Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky

Quick Thought

Sam Cooke's father was a Baptist minister, but here the singer hints that the hardships of his life may have undermined his faith.

Deep Thought

Cooke first gained recognition as a gospel singer in the group the Soul Stirrers. As a member of the Soul Stirrers, Cooke recorded several gospel hits, including 'Jesus Paid the Debt,' 'How Far Am I From Canaan?' and 'Peace in the Valley.'

Sam Cooke would eventually break away from his gospel music roots, crossing over to mainstream pop. This move from the spiritual to the secular in his music may have been paralleled by a crisis in his private faith. When Sam Cooke wrote 'A Change Is Gonna Come,' he was still mourning the 1963 drowning death of his eighteen-year-old son Vincent, which shook the singer to the core.

Somebody keep telling me don't hang around

Quick Thought

This is most likely a reference to an actual event that occurred in Louisiana in 1963, just two months before Cooke wrote 'A Change Is Gonna Come.'

Deep Thought

While touring in 1963, Sam Cooke and his band tried to stay at a Holiday Inn located in Shreveport, Louisiana. They were turned away by the motel management, which had earlier accepted their reservation, because the motel had a whites-only policy.

Cooke refused to be Jim Crowed, insisting that he and his bandmates had a right to stay. The incident eventually ended only with Cooke's arrest, which made headlines across the country.

But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees

Quick Thought

Cooke called for a greater sense of unity among African Americans, knowing that only in unity could they hope to overcome white racism.

Deep Thought

This line creates a powerful visual, with Sam Cooke asking for help from one of his fellow Black brothers, only to get knocked down to his knees. This line serves as a personal appeal to the African Americans in 1963 to start looking after one another and fully embrace the notion of a self-sufficient, mutually caring Black community.

Lyrics To Change Gonna Come

Although it does not contain any overt-religious references, “A Change Is Gonna Come” can perhaps best be described as a spiritual tune. Indeed a listener can easily presume that its lyrics actually predate the mid 1960’s, which is when they were actually written.

And like all truly-elaborate metaphors, the lyrics of this song can be construed in a number of different ways. But generally speaking, it was intended to be Sam Cooke’s (1931-1964) way of addressing the Civil Rights Movement, which was in full swing when this track was released.

The Civil Rights Movement is the term used to describe the official fight for African-Americans to enjoy equal rights in the United States. These actions were at their peak during the 1960s. And to make a long story short, on top of being viewed as second-class citizens, African-Americans were regularly mistreated (i.e. discriminated against) by more-powerful classes in America. And that is the reality that Sam is speaking to.

Narrative

So based on that general understanding, Sam begins the song by alluding to the idea that he has been subject to this reality since the moment he was born. Indeed he suffers a “hard living” – so much so that he seems to fantasize about dying.

And it is within the third verse where it really begins to become apparent that Cooke is referring to racism. Moreover according to the fourth verse, it would appear that one of the major challenges the Civil Rights Movement was faced with was something along the lines of infighting.

And all of this combined, as alluded to earlier, sometimes has the singer ready to throw in the towel, as in believe that the times will remain the same. But he has decided to “carry on” despite such discouragement. Certainly as the title (and chorus) suggests, he is optimistic that ‘a change is going to come’. And this is directly irrespective of the fact that he cannot definitively perceive how or when such will occur.

So going back to the spiritual motif, this song is very much one of faith. Being born under the harrowing specter of racism, repression and a self-defeating people, all things considered the singer does not see anything to suggest that such is ever going to improve. However he is still supremely optimistic that at the end of the day they will.

Inspiration behind “A Change Is Gonna Come”

A Change Is Gonna Come Youtube

An overt incident of racism contributed to Sam Cooke, the sole writer of “A Change Is Gonna Come”, penning this song. In summation, this occurred in 1963. Said date saw Sam make reservations for himself and his wife at a Holiday Inn located in the city of Shreveport in Louisiana. But when they arrived, they were turned away under the premise of lack of vacancy. This caused Cooke and his brother to protest and eventually disturb the peace, at least according to the cops who arrested them shortly after they vacated the premises.

But on a more-positive note, in 2019 the Mayor of Shreveport did apologize for the event. He even went as far as gifting a long-deceased Sam Cooke the ‘key to the city’.

Another fire which burned in Cooke’s heart that influenced the composition of “A Change Is Gonna Come” was his affinity for the 1963 Bob Dylan tune “Blowin’ in the Wind”. In fact Cooke felt envy, if you will, against Dylan – aka “a White boy” – for putting out such a powerful song in support of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Church

And although in its seriousness “A Change Is Gonna Come” deviated from what Sam Cooke was known for, he felt a calling – so to say – to release this song. In fact he perceived it as the kind of track that would make his father, a minister, proud. Indeed having grown up in the church himself, this song was considered somewhat of a homecoming for Mr. Cooke.

Facts about “AChange Is Gonna Come”

This classic was released by RCA Records in 1964. It was thefifth single from Sam Cooke’s final album, “Ain’t That Good News”.

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