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
It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die, 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.
Verse 3
I go to the movie, and I go downtown, somebody keep telling me don’t hang around.
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
Oh, there’ve been 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, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
A Change Is Gonna Come | Chords + Lyrics (original key)
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
It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die, 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.
Verse 3
I go to the movie, and I go downtown, somebody keep telling me don’t hang around.
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
Oh, there’ve been 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, a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will.
A Change Is Gonna Come Chords: Learn the progressions
It would also make sense to avoid calling the intro progression by their Roman Numerals, it’s too complex!
Members get TAB, first outlining the melody, then harmonising that melody. Once you can play it and understand it, reading the chords will be enough of a reminder (see the chord chart below).
Unlike the intro, for the verse/chorus and the m8, using Roman Numerals is essential.
Here’s the verse progression in the key of G (capo fret 2 if you play with me, 3 if with the original recording):
| G (I) | G (I) | Am (II) | Em (VI) |
| G (I) | Am (II) C (IV) B7 (IIIx) | Em (VI) | G (I) |
Only the B7 is not diatonic, that IIIx chord is the most common variation as it pulls more to the Em than a Bm chord would have.
The middle 8 has another chord outside the key of G, the A7 is the IIx chord, also known as the dominant’s dominant as it “pulls more” towards D7 than an Am would have.
||: Am (II) | Em (VI) :||
| Am | Em G (I) | A7 (IIx) | D7 (V) |
Here’s A Change Is Gonna Come in a chord chart.
A Change Is Gonna Come Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
As mentioned, that intro only makes sense if you’ve been through the process of learning the melody and harmonising it.
For the rest of the tune, a chord chart is ideal, maybe even better than reading it using chords and lyrics.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: A Change Is Gonna Come Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: A Change Is Gonna Come iRealPro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key which is a good idea as the original is in the key of Bb!
In the course, we look at TAB and play along to loops to learn A Change Is Gonna Come in more depth, below is a preview of verse example 1.
A Change Is Gonna Come TAB | Course Preview
Try it already now to get a taste of what the course is like.
Here are the chords and TAB as an image, pay special attention to how it is broken up between bass notes and chord strums.
In the full course lesson, we next look at another way to play this verse.
Over the next steps (8 in total), we keep investigating how to play A Change Is Gonna Come’s remaining sections. That’s the middle 8 and intro.
We also look at playing the Minor Pentatonic, the Major Pentatonic, as well as the vocal melody, which isn’t easy!
In step 7 we learn a 2nd guitar part in the key of A, played without a capo. Learn this so you, me and the singer can play this classic tune together, like a trio.
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: A Change Is Gonna Come – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
A Change Is Gonna Come is a response to Blowin’ In The Wind!
A Change Is Gonna Come Chords | Related Pages
A Change Is Gonna Come | 8 Step-by-step Guitar Lessons + TAB
To learn A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke may not be that difficult if you disregard the intro.
Let’s 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.
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- A Natural Woman chords by Aretha Franklin
- Cry Me A River chords by Julie London
- Georgia On My Mind chords by Ray Charles
- If I Ain’t Got You chords by Alicia Keys
- Redemption Song chords by Bob Marley
Sam Cooke tunes
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
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about A Change Is Gonna Come chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
