A Change Is Gonna Come

• By: Sam Cooke

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
river /ˈrɪvər/ A1	noun - a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream.
born /bɔːrn/ A1	verb - brought into life.
tent /tent/ A2	noun - a portable shelter made of cloth, supported by poles and stretched tight by cords or loops attached to pegs driven into the ground.
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move at a speed faster than a walk
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A2	noun - an act or process through which something becomes different. verb - make or become different.
hard /hɑːrd/ A2	adjective - difficult to accomplish; demanding considerable effort and skill.
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ A2	noun - the pursuit of a way of life or means of support.
afraid /əˈfreɪd/ A2	adjective - feeling fear or anxiety; frightened.
die /daɪ/ A1	verb - stop living.
sky /skaɪ/ A1	noun - the region of the atmosphere and outer space seen from the earth.
movie /ˈmuːvi/ A1	noun - a film; motion picture.
downtown /ˌdaʊnˈtaʊn/ A2	noun - the main business or commercial area of a town or city.
brother /ˈbrʌðər/ A1	noun - a male sibling.
knees /niːz/ A2	noun - the joint between the thigh and the lower leg in humans.
able /ˈeɪbl/ A2	adjective - having the power, skill, means, or opportunity to do something.
carry /ˈkæri/ A2	verb - support and move (someone or something) from one place to another.

Grammar:

• I was born by the river

  ➔ Passive Voice (Past Simple)

  ➔ This sentence uses the passive voice to emphasize that the subject, "I", received the action of being born, rather than performing it. 'was born' indicates the past simple passive construction. The agent (who/what caused the birth) is not specified, typical of passive sentences.

• just like the river, I've been a runnin'

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ "I've been a runnin'" is a colloquial shortening of "I have been running". It uses the present perfect continuous tense ('have/has been' + present participle). This tense expresses an action that started in the past, continues into the present, and may continue into the future. The 'running' is not a literal act but a metaphor of constantly moving and striving. The 'a' before 'runnin'' is non-standard and emphasizes the continuous nature of the action.

• A change gon' come

  ➔ Future with "going to" (colloquial)

  ➔ "Gon'" is a colloquial shortening of "going to". The full sentence would be "A change is going to come." This expresses a future intention or prediction based on present evidence or likelihood. It indicates a strong expectation or belief that a change will happen.

• It's been too hard living

  ➔ Present Perfect Simple (with 'too' + adjective)

  ➔ "It's been too hard living" uses the present perfect simple tense ('has/have been' + past participle) to describe a situation that started in the past and continues up to the present. The use of "too hard" emphasizes the excessive difficulty experienced during this period. The implicit subject is "life," making the full expression "Living has been too hard."

• But I'm afraid to die

  ➔ "be afraid to" + infinitive

  ➔ The structure "be afraid to" + infinitive expresses a fear or reluctance to do something. In this case, the speaker is afraid of dying. This construction often implies a fear of the consequences or the unknown aspects of the action.

• Somebody keep tellin' me

  ➔ Present Continuous (emphasizing repetition, informal)

  ➔ "Somebody keep tellin' me" uses the present continuous tense ("keep tellin'") to emphasize the repeated nature of the action. The use of 'keep' with the present participle highlights the continuous and irritating nature of someone repeatedly telling the speaker something. The omission of the 'g' in 'telling' is common in informal speech.

• But he winds up knockin' me

  ➔ Phrasal verb "wind up" + gerund

  ➔ The phrasal verb "wind up" means to end up in a particular situation or place, often unexpectedly. In this context, "winds up knockin' me" means the brother's actions unexpectedly result in the speaker being knocked down. The gerund "knockin'" follows the phrasal verb. "Knockin' me" is a colloquial short for knocking me.

• There've been times that I thought

  ➔ Existential "there" + Present Perfect

  ➔ This sentence uses an existential "there" to introduce the existence of "times". The present perfect "There've been" (short for "There have been") indicates that these times existed in the past and have relevance to the present. The relative pronoun 'that' (which could be omitted) introduces a relative clause giving more information about these 'times'.