A few nights ago, I was eating dinner and listening to “my” station on Pandora. It was Otis Redding’s turn. He sings “Change is Gonna Come.” Otis and the song touched this child of the 60s.
Change is Gonna Come
I was born by the river in a little tentOh and just like the river I’ve been running ev’r sinceIt’s been a long, a long time comingBut I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die’Cause I don’t know what’s up there, beyond the skyOh and just like the river I’ve been running ev’r sinceIt’s been a long, a long time comingBut I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die’Cause I don’t know what’s up there, beyond the skyIt’s been a long, a long time comingBut I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
I go to the movie and I go downtownSomebody keep tellin’ me don’t hang aroundIt’s been a long, a long time comingBut I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
Then I go to my brotherAnd I say brother help me pleaseBut he winds up knockin’ meBack down on my knees, oh
There have been times that I thought I couldn’t last for longBut now I think I’m able to carry onIt’s been a long, a long time comingBut I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
As he finished, I tried to remember who wrong the song. Sam Cooke came to mind. (My mental computer is slower. My doctor told me that my hard drive is too small for the information I’ve saved. No updates available.)
I didn’t know (and I can’t blame my hard drive for this one) what provoked Cooke to write it. The answer is depressing.
When he heard Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” in the early 60s, he was annoyed that a White guy wrote a song about Black oppression before he had. But he was impressed and immediately included it in his repertoire.
Blowin’ in the Wind
How many roads must a man walk downBefore you call him a manHow many seas must the white dove sailBefore she sleeps in the sand
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs flyBefore they are forever bannedThe answer, my friend, is blowing in the windThe answer is blowing in the wind
Yes, and how many years can a mountain existBefore it washed to the seaYes, and how many years can some people existBefore they’re allowed to be free
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his headAnd pretend that he just doesn’t seeThe answer, my friend, is blowing in the windThe answer is blowing in the wind
Yes, and how many times must a man look upBefore he can see the skyYes, and how many ears must one man haveBefore he can hear people cry
Yes, and how many deaths will it take till he knowsThat too many people have diedThe answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
Competition didn’t inspire “Change is Gonna Come.” Life did. He was traveling with his band and wife. It was late. They went to check into a hotel where they had booked a reservation. When the clerk saw them, the hotel suddenly filled up. Cooke was furious. They left–after a great deal of shouting and horn honking. They drove to the only hotel willing to lease rooms to Blacks. The sheriff and his deputies were waiting. They arrested Cooke for disturbing the peace. A bunch of bigots inspired the song.
Dylan, though, didn’t “beat” Cooke to the punch. He adapted a spiritual song by former slaves who fled to Canada after Britain made slavery illegal in 1833. The song: “No More Auction Block.” Listen to Martha Redbone sing this powerful song. You will also hear the origins of “We Shall Overcome.”
No More Auction Block
No more auction block for meNo more, no moreNo more auction block for meMany thousands gone
No more driver’s lash for meNo more, no moreNo more driver’s lash for meMany thousands goneNo more whip lash for meNo more, no moreNo more pine assault for meMany thousands gone
No more auction block for meNo more, no moreNo more auction block for meMany thousands gone.
For a Dignity Deserved 