Today, as I wrap up the work on the semester, I've returned to one of my all-time favorite singers to get me through - Sam Cooke. One of the first tapes I ever remember (maybe the first) was the Best of Sam Cooke tape that my dad had in his car, with a yellow, black, and white cover. From "You Send Me" to "Wonderful World," every single song on that tape is absolutely perfect. It was hard as a child to learn about his death, and the circumstances surrounding it, and I think that's one of the first times I realized that an artist could make amazing and beautiful contributions to the world, and still lead a troubled and complicated life. Now, having read a few Sam Cooke books, I have more respect for him than ever, as I understand more fully the challenges he faced and how revolutionary his artistic choices were. In Obama's acceptance speech, he borrowed a line from A Change Is Gonna Come and the song has taken on yet another layer of meaning for me. Sam Cooke's career was full of pop hits, powerful spirituals, and politically tinged observations - and it's a career that will live on, I hope, for many generations to come.
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I was born by the river in a little tent
And just like that river I've been running ever since
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is 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 sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
I go to the movies 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 gonna come, oh yes it will
Then I go to my brother
And I say, brother, help me please
And he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees
There 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...
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