Artist: Otis Redding
[VERSE 1]
[Ab]I was born by a river in this little old tent [Bm]
[Bm]Oh just like this river [Fm] I've been running ever since
[Ab]It's been a long long, [Bm]long time [Db]coming
[Db]But I [C]know, but I know a [Fm]change is gotta come
[Ab]Oh yes it is
[VERSE 2]
[Ab]It's been too hard living, oh my
[Ab]And I'm afraid to die[Bm]
[Bm]I don't know what's up there [Fm]
[Fm]Beyond the clouds
[Ab]It's been a long long, [Bm]long time coming
[Db]But I know, [C]but I know [Fm]a change is gotta come [Bm]
[Ab]Oh yes it is
[BRIDGE]
[Bm]There was a time I would go to [Ab]my brother [Bm]
[Bm]I asked my brother, "Will you help [Fm]me please?" [Bm]
[Bm]He turned me down and then I ask my [Fm]dear mother, oh
[B7]I said "Mother!"
[B7]I said "Mother! I'm down on [Eb]my knees"
[VERSE 3]
[Ab]It's been a time that I thought
[Ab]Lord this couldn't last for very long [Bm]
[Bm]But somehow I thought I was still able [Fm] to try to carry on
[Ab]It's been a long long, [Bm]long time coming
[Bm]But [Db]I kn[C]ow [Fm]a change is gonna come
[Ab]Oh, yes it is
[BRIDGE]
[Bm]Just like I said, I went to my little [Ab]bitty brother, my littlee brother[Bm]
[Bm]I asked my brother "Brother help me [Fm]please?" [Bm]
[Bm]He turned me down and then I go [Fm]to my little mother, my dear mother [B7]
[B7]I said "Mother!"
I said "Mother! I'm down [Eb]on my knees"
[VERSE 4]
[Ab]But there was a time that I thought
[Ab]Lord this couldn't last for very [Bm]long
But somehow I thought I was still a[Fm]ble to try to carry on
[Ab]It's been a long long, [Bm]long time coming
[Db]But I know, b[Cm]ut I know a [Fm]change is gotta come
[Fm]Ooh it's been so [Db]long, it's been so long, a [Cm]little too long
[Cm]But a change [Fm]has gotta come
[OUTRO]
[Ab]I'm so tired, so tired of [Db]standing by myself
[Cm]And stand[C]ing by my self
[Fm]And standing up alone
[Fm]But a change has gotta come
[Fm]You know and i know
[Fm]You know that [Db]I know
[Db]I know that [Cm]you know, honey
[Cm]That a change [Fm]is gonne come, oh my [Ab] [Db]
[Ab]I was born by a river in this little old tent [Bm]
[Bm]Oh just like this river [Fm] I've been running ever since
[Ab]It's been a long long, [Bm]long time [Db]coming
[Db]But I [C]know, but I know a [Fm]change is gotta come
[Ab]Oh yes it is
[VERSE 2]
[Ab]It's been too hard living, oh my
[Ab]And I'm afraid to die[Bm]
[Bm]I don't know what's up there [Fm]
[Fm]Beyond the clouds
[Ab]It's been a long long, [Bm]long time coming
[Db]But I know, [C]but I know [Fm]a change is gotta come [Bm]
[Ab]Oh yes it is
[BRIDGE]
[Bm]There was a time I would go to [Ab]my brother [Bm]
[Bm]I asked my brother, "Will you help [Fm]me please?" [Bm]
[Bm]He turned me down and then I ask my [Fm]dear mother, oh
[B7]I said "Mother!"
[B7]I said "Mother! I'm down on [Eb]my knees"
[VERSE 3]
[Ab]It's been a time that I thought
[Ab]Lord this couldn't last for very long [Bm]
[Bm]But somehow I thought I was still able [Fm] to try to carry on
[Ab]It's been a long long, [Bm]long time coming
[Bm]But [Db]I kn[C]ow [Fm]a change is gonna come
[Ab]Oh, yes it is
[BRIDGE]
[Bm]Just like I said, I went to my little [Ab]bitty brother, my littlee brother[Bm]
[Bm]I asked my brother "Brother help me [Fm]please?" [Bm]
[Bm]He turned me down and then I go [Fm]to my little mother, my dear mother [B7]
[B7]I said "Mother!"
I said "Mother! I'm down [Eb]on my knees"
[VERSE 4]
[Ab]But there was a time that I thought
[Ab]Lord this couldn't last for very [Bm]long
But somehow I thought I was still a[Fm]ble to try to carry on
[Ab]It's been a long long, [Bm]long time coming
[Db]But I know, b[Cm]ut I know a [Fm]change is gotta come
[Fm]Ooh it's been so [Db]long, it's been so long, a [Cm]little too long
[Cm]But a change [Fm]has gotta come
[OUTRO]
[Ab]I'm so tired, so tired of [Db]standing by myself
[Cm]And stand[C]ing by my self
[Fm]And standing up alone
[Fm]But a change has gotta come
[Fm]You know and i know
[Fm]You know that [Db]I know
[Db]I know that [Cm]you know, honey
[Cm]That a change [Fm]is gonne come, oh my [Ab] [Db]
Used chords
—