I was born by the river, oh my
In this little old tent, oh
Just like this river
I´ve been runnin´ ever since
It´s been a long, long time comin´
But I know, but I know
A change has gotta come now
Oh yes it is now, 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
Beyound the clouds
It´s been a long, long time comin´
I know, I know
A change has gotta come
Oh yes it is now, oh my, oh my, oh my

There´s a time
I will go to my brother, oh my
I´ve asked my brother
"Will you help me, please?"
Oh now, oh my
He turned me down
And then I asked my dear mother
Oh now, oh now
I said "mother"
I said, "Mother, I´m down on my knees"

It´s been a time that I thought
lord, this couldn´t last very long
Oh now, oh
But somehow I thought I was still able
To try to carry on
It´s been a long, long time comin´
But I know a change is gonna come
Oh yes it is

Just like I said
I went to my little bitty brother
Oh my, my little brother now
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
I said, "Mother"
I said, "Mother, I´m down on my knees"

But there was a time that I thought
lord, this couldn´t last 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 comin´
But I know, but I know
A change gotta come

Ooh it´s been so long
It´s been so long, a little too long
But a change has gotta come
I´m so tired, so tired of suffering
And standing by myself
And standing up alone
But a change has gotta come
You know and I know
You know that I know
That I know that you know, honey
That a change is gonne come, oh my...