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A Change Is Gonna Come Lyrics by Sam Cooke

30 Greatest Hits: Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964

1964

[Verse 1]
I was born by the river
In a little tent
Oh, and just like the river, I've been runnin'
Ever since

[Chorus]
It's been a long
A long time comin', but I know
A change gon' come
Oh, yes it will

[Verse 2]
It's been too hard livin'
But I'm afraid to die
'Cause I don't know what's up there
Beyond the sky

[Chorus]
It's been a long
A long time comin', but I know
A change gon' come
Oh, yes it will

[Verse 3]
I go to the movie
And I go downtown
Somebody keep tellin' me "don't hang around"

[Chorus]
It's been a long
A long time comin', but I know
A change gon' come
Oh, yes it will

[Verse 4]
Then I go to my brother
And I say, "Brother, help me please"
But he winds up
Knockin' me
Back down on my knees
Lor', there been times that I thought
I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to
Carry on

[Chorus]
It's been a long
A long time comin', but I know
A change gon' come
Oh, yes it will
Credits

About “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke

Read the complete lyrics to "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke from the album "30 Greatest Hits: Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964" in 1964. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under USA, In English, Traditional Pop.

"A Change Is Gonna Come" is performed by Sam Cooke. from the album "30 Greatest Hits: Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964" in 1964 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Change Is Gonna Come", explore more songs by Sam Cooke using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"A Change Is Gonna Come" is credited to Sam Cooke. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Change Is Gonna Come" appears on "30 Greatest Hits: Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964" in 1964.

Visit the Sam Cooke artist page at /artist/sam-cooke for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


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