A Change Is Gonna Come | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Bb6 F6/A | Gm F6/C Dm7 |
| Eb Bbsus4/D Cm7 Eb/Bb | C7sus4 F7 F7sus4 | F7 |
Verse 1
| Bb | Bb | Cm | Gm |
I was born by the river, in a little tent, oh and just like that river I’ve been running ever since.
| Bb | Cm Eb D7 | Gm | Bb |
It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
Verse 2
| Bb | Bb | Cm | Gm |
It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die, I don’t know what’s out there, beyond the sky.
| Bb | Cm Eb D7 | Gm | Bb |
It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
Verse 3
| Bb | Bb | Cm | Gm |
I go to the movie, and I go downtown, somebody keep telling me don’t hang around.
| Bb | Cm Eb D7 | Gm | Bb |
It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
Middle 8
| Cm | Gm | Cm | Gm |
Then I go to my brother, and I say brother help me, please.
| Cm | Gm Bb | C7 | F7 |
But he winds up knockin’ me, back down on my knees.
Verse 4
| Bb | Bb | Cm | Gm |
Oh, there’ve been times when I thought I couldn’t last for long, but now I think I’m able to carry on.
| Bb | Cm Eb D7 | Gm | Bb |
It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
A Change Is Gonna Come | Chords + Lyrics (capo 2)
Intro
| G6 D6/F# | Em D6/A Bm7 |
| C Gsus4/B Am7 C/G | A7sus4 D7 D7sus4 | D7 |
Verse 1
| G | G | Am | Em |
I was born by the river, in a little tent, oh and just like that river I’ve been running ever since.
| G | Am C B7 | Em | G |
It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
Verse 2
| G | G | Am | Em |
It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die, I don’t know what’s out there, beyond the sky.
| G | Am C B7 | Em | G |
It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
Verse 3
| G | G | Am | Em |
I go to the movie, and I go downtown, somebody keep telling me don’t hang around.
| G | Am C B7 | Em | G |
It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
Middle 8
| Am | Em | Am | Em |
Then I go to my brother, and I say brother help me, please.
| Am | Em G | A7 | D7 |
But he winds up knockin’ me, back down on my knees.
Verse 4
| G | G | Am | Em |
Oh, there’ve been times when I thought I couldn’t last for long, but now I think I’m able to carry on.
| G | Am C B7 | Em | G |
It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
A Change Is Gonna Come Guitar Lesson | Course Preview
A Change Is Gonna Come chords, progressions, and TAB
As the chord names for the intro are so unique and complex, it would make more sense to first learn this using TAB, rather than reading the chord names.
It would also make sense to avoid calling the intro progression by their Roman numerals, it’s just a bit too complex.
For the verse/chorus and the m8, however, using Roman numerals is essential! Study these and you’ll be able to easily play A Change Is Gonna Come in any key!
Here’s the verse progression. Let’s stay in the original key of Bb.
| Bb (I) | Bb (I) | Cm (II) | Gm (VI) |
| Bb (I) | Cm (II) Eb (IV) D7 (IIIx) | Gm (VI) | Bb (I) |
Here are the m8 chords.
| Cm (II) | Gm (VI) | Cm (II) | Gm (VI) |
| Cm (II) | Gm (VI) Bb (I) | C7 (IIx) | F7 (V) |
Only the IIx and IIIx chords are outside the key. They should have been minor chords. Making it major changes the feel of the progression and leads more strongly to chords V (IIx) and VI (IIIx).
A Change Is Gonna Come’s 8 guitar lessons in the course
To learn A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke may not be that difficult if you disregard the intro.
In the course, we first learn all sections step by step, before we go further and learn more about scales, play the vocal melody, and finally, construct a 2nd guitar part.
In total, there are 8 step-by-step lessons for A Change Is Gonna Come available. Here are links to each lesson in the course (members only):
- Step 1 – Verse
- Step 2 – M8
- Step 3 – Intro
- Step 4 – The complete song, with TAB
- Step 5 – Minor or major pentatonic
- Step 6 – Vocal melody
- Step 7 – 2nd guitar
- Step 8 – 2nd guitar – The complete song, with TAB
Become a member today and get unlimited access to all my guitar courses, the SEPR practice route, and the eBook Spytunes Method – You can learn guitar!
A Change Is Gonna Come chords | Related pages
Intermediate Acoustic
Most intermediate acoustic tunes can’t be played using just basic open-position chords. We have to move up the fretboard and play CAGED barre chords as well.
We incorporate bass lines, add licks, extend chords, and play vocal melodies. Most importantly, we invent second guitar parts and play these songs together.
Five similar tunes
- (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman chords
- Cry Me A River chords
- Georgia On My Mind chords
- If I Ain’t Got You chords
- Redemption Song chords
Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke has been called The King Of Soul. His legacy is extensive and his impact on soul music is undeniable.
Between 1957 and 1963, Sam Cooke managed twenty-nine top 40 hits including You Send Me, Chain Gang, A Change Is Gonna Come, and Wonderful World.
Sam Cooke on the web
Motown & Soul
You can learn how to play these Motown & Soul tunes, and in doing so, gain yourself a repertoire so you can jam with, or even join a working band.
Study these tunes in-depth and you will map out the fretboard, master the CAGED system, and learn how to design a rhythm guitar part that works in a band.
