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This is a cross-university blog project between Clemson University and the University of South Carolina - Upstate for the Spring 2008 semester. In this forum, our collaborative efforts will discuss the arguments found in popular war-based music from the 1960s.
Contributors
- Joey Schumacher - Clemson University
- Erin McCoy - USC Upstate
- Chase Hart - Clemson University
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26 comments:
Sam Cooke – “A Change is Gonna Come” (1965)
I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I've been running ever since
It's been a long, a long time coming
But 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 sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
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 gonna come, oh yes it will
Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knocking me
Back down on my knees
Ohhhhhhhhh.....
There been times that 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 gonna come, oh yes it will
Hey Everyone,
My name is Keith Bisgounis,I am a student at Upstate. After reading the lyrics to the song and then listening to it i feel there are a few logical explanations for what the song is about. First off the title itself " A change gona Come" sparks many issues, since the song was written in 1965 it is very possible the song could be talking about the war in Vietnam and how a change is coming, which could be the ending of the war. But after listening to the song, it is a very bluesy and slow song, i think its about the struggle of African Americans in America during the 1960's and how they are very close to getting their equal rights and freedom.
Keith Bisgounis
Hello Group,
My name is Kyle Tyler, and I am a freshman at Clemson University. Lately I have been listening to many artists from the 1960’s including the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Hendrix so I am excited to look at another great artist from this revolutionary time period. When I first read the lyrics, I quickly realized that this song could be talking to any of the many groups seeking change during the 1960’s. However, after I reread the song, I began to see that Sam Cooke was probably talking to the African-American community. “A Change is Gonna Come” seems to be speaking to blacks who were becoming discouraged with the progress of the civil rights movement. Sam Cooke is trying to encourage his fellow African-Americans to not give up hope in their fight for equal rights. Although I enjoyed the whole song, I really liked the last stanza. It reminds members of the movement that they are not alone, and that they can lean on each other when facing adversity.
Kyle Tyler. 26. Joey Schumacher
Hey Everybody,
I’m Matt Wilbanks, and I’m a freshman Biology major at Clemson University. I’m a pretty huge fan of music from this time period as well, especially Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Neil Young. This song by Sam Cooke, “A Change is Gonna Come” was written in 1965. This was a time consumed with change and struggle. In the middle of a civil rights movement, a costly and unpopular war, and numerous assassinations, people demanded progress, and musicians often led the way. There were a lot of movements going on during this time, and this song could be about any of them. The reason that the subject of the lyrics is so hard for me to pin down is because they’re so ambiguous. The song is clearly about change, but the type of change is never specified. I feel like the vague nature of this song is probably intentional. It allows for more than one subject to be addressed. Overall, this is an optimistic song. Sam Cooke is stating that he has faced struggle his entire life, and things are pretty horrible right now, but he knows that things are about to change.
Peace.
Matt Wilbanks
Section 60
Hey Everyone,
My name is Donna Earle,I am a non traditional student at Upstate.This song was written the same year I was born,so it is a little closer to what I knew growing up. "A Change is Gonna Come" was a powerful song about the struggles of the African Americans and also a struggle of how people were responding to the Vietnam war. Everyone knew that there were changes comming, but not everyone wanted them. People on both sides of the struggles going on were confused and not sure what would happen next.
Donna E. sec.2
Hey Guys,
My name is Colleen and I’m a freshman at Clemson. I was actually trying to listen to this song on youtube and one of the videos of an African-American lady singing this song at a MLK event which definitely helped me connect the lyrics to the civil rights movement. Sam Cooke starts off by talking about how “just like the river I’ve been running ever since” which I conclude is addressing the struggle he has faced all of his life. He cites a specific example of him trying to go to a movie downtown, but he is told “don’t hang around.” However, it seems that he wasn’t using this song to complain about the prejudice he has experienced, but give hope that some day African-Americans won’t have to fight for equal rights. In the last stanza he emphasizes that he knows it has been rough, but to keep going because change is coming.
Later,
Colleen R.
Section 60
Hello Group,
My name is Brittany B. and I'm a freshman at Clemson University. I am a Graphic Communications major. I think the title "A Change is Gonna Come" gives a clear statement about the song. The speaker in the poem is very hopeful about change in his future. Although there are hard times during life, we need the encouragement to just keep pushing through everything. The speaker is offering a lot of support for himself and those around him. Many times people like to sing to help take their mind off their misery and to get through their workday. I think this song is about a slave trying to be very optimistic about becoming a free man soon.
~Brittany B.
Chase Hart- Section 50
Hey Everyone,
My name is Will Gregg. I'm a freshman Political Science major at Clemson. I grew up listening to "oldies" all my life because both my parents were born in the early 1950s. Sam Cooke was an amazing artist and another one of his influential songs was "Chain Gang." I think this song personally is about more than just one struggle in the 1960s. It represents the African American struggle for equal rights and the struggle against society and authority (Vietnam War). He says, "Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky." That statement alone kind of questions the traditional theory in the 1950s of everybody going to Church and being Christians, and now people are unsure of religion. Then Cooke switches over and says, "Somebody keep telling me don't hang around." That seems to represent the black struggle to be treated equally as whites. This song is all about changing the way society thinks and works. Cooke's song also seems to be speaking to all the oppressed people and saying don't give up hope because change will come. The music of the 1960s always seemed to be so influential over people and would cause movements for change. Cooke's song represents this push for change throughout society.
Will Gregg. 11. Joey Schumacher
Hi my name is Sam Mencher and I am a freshman at Clemson University. Personally I am a big fan of music of this time. Some of my favorite bands include Led Zeppelin and Creedence Clearwater. Although I am not too familiar with this song, I have heard it before. While listening to songs of this era I have listened to the lyrics and been very interested in how meaningful the lyrics are compared to music of today. This particular song clearly states its meaning in the title "A Change is Gonna Come". The entire sentiment of the time was change from the era of post World War II. The fifties was a time when people's lives were bland and the family setting was very conservative. The sixties change was coming like mentioned in the title. To me the song suggests the story of one's life at the time. Many people struggled through the troubles that came with the Vietnam War and they had experiences in life where they had bad experiences , even with family members. Although life was tough at the time people had lots of resiliency. Well thats about all, have a good one.
Sam Mencher sec 26-
Hello Again,
After reading everyones responses , I feel that we all had the same general idea and understanding for the song. After reading Kyle Tyler's response I feel that we both shared the same thoughts about the lyrics, Kyle helped make things a little more clear for me when he stated That the african americans had each other to lean on as they approached their civil rights. Another response that i felt was similar to mine was Colleen', we both watched videos on youtube to help gain a better understanding of the song. Colleen also helped make the "river" line in the song more clear for me.
Keith Bisgounis
Hey again everyone!
After reading the responses to the song posted since Wed. I think that Colleen had a great way of explaining the song from watching the video on youtube. Her example of what the "river" means makes a lot of sense and makes you think about that part a little differently. I agree with Will that it is about more than just the struggle of the African American for equal rights, it's about the struggle against authority in general that was taking place in the 1960s. He is right that the songs of the 1960s were always influential on what people thought and did. There was a big emphasis on change and freedom of people of all colors over their own lifes.This was big in all the music during that time.
Donna E.sec.2
Hi again, Sam Mencher again. Reading the comments below I noticed what Will Gregg said and I totally agree with what he had to say about the era. It was a time of change that people had to adjust to the new time and open up their personal boundaries and become more open minded. The song addresses how the time was so different that the 1950's which a time of such conservative ways. The 1960's open up people's eyes and made a change that was needed. Also Matt Wilbanks makes a good point in that Sam Cooke's lyrics address how the times were bad up optimistically thought change was ahead. He was right and although the Vietnam War would last years later, times have changed drastically since then. Today we are faced with a similar transition with the war and the change in our society and country. Thats all, have a good one.
Sam Mencher. sec 26 clemson
Hey everyone,
After reading everyone’s responses, I think that we all got the same basic idea. Although I thought that this song was mainly about civil rights for African Americans, I somewhat changed my opinion after I read Sam Menchers blog post. I liked how he was able to track people’s attitudes throughout the decades since World War II. His post showed that many different sects of society were seeking change in multiple areas. It was also interesting reading Donna Earle’s post because she was able to respond to the lyrics and provide a different insight since she actually experienced seeing the civil rights movement for herself. Even though I felt as if all our posts were very similar, I felt like I was able to connect with Colleens the most. I also liked how she explained the line “just like the river I’ve been running ever since” to show that the African Americans had been dealing with discrimination since before they were even born. Have a great Weekend!
Kyle Tyler. Joey Schumacher. 26
Hey again,
I hadn’t really thought about what Will said about the line “Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky" and how it has to do with questioning religion. I was actually wondering what it had to do with the other stanzas and what I believe are references to the civil rights movement, but I definitely think Will made a good point. Before I was a little confused, but Sam’s comment helped me understand exactly how this song connects to the Vietnam War by mentioning how “although life was tough at the time people had lots of resiliency.” I also think Keith made a good point about the actual tune and tempo of the song and how that relates to the Sam Cooke's background.
Take it easy,
Colleen R.
Section 60
Hey Everyone,
I was reading over all the posts and I must say that I agree with what Matt Wilbanks had to say. I think Cooke did leave the lyrics ambiguous and open to interpretation on purpose. Matt's right in that there were a lot of changes coming about in the 1960s. I think Cooke left his lyrics open to interpretation because it appeals to more people and not just one group. I also agree with Sam Mencher's comments in that the transition from the 1950s to the 1960s came so fast that people were caught off guard. Sam's right in that Cooke may have been trying to say that people are resilient and change will come sooner or later. I think Colleen is right in that Cooke was referencing some events that happened in his life and maybe that's why this song is so moving. Overall everyone's posts were very similar to mine, and I think we all are in somewhat of agreement about the song's meaning.
Will Gregg. 11. Joey Schumacher.
Hey again,
So I guess the overall theme of this song is pretty apparent. It looks like we all basically came up with the same conclusions, but some people brought up ideas that I haven’t considered. I like how Sam mentioned that the song might not be completely about change caused by huge movements like civil rights and Vietnam. It could just be about a change in lifestyle. The sixties brought about the opportunity for more freedom, which resulted in more self-expression, and many people embraced this. Will also bring up a good point with the questioning of accepted religious practices. I think Sam Cooke’s uncertainty of “what’s up there beyond the sky” refers to his desire to see this change take place before he actually finds out what’s up there. Brittany’s post about hope and encouragement seems pretty accurate as well. For many people during this time, I bet the future looked pretty grim. When you’re working hard for something that seems like it’s never going to come, a little encouragement makes a lot of difference, and this is probably the main purpose of Cooke’s optimistic lyrics.
Peace.
Matt Wilbanks
Section 60
Hello again,
Sorry I'm a little late getting back to ya'll. I agree that we all seem to have the general idea about what the song is about. The author does make it rather clear for the most part. I agree with what Matt Wilbanks said in reference to the song definitely being about change, but what the specific details of the change is a little unclear. I also agree that the song is an optimistic song. Like I had said before, it was very important for the African Americans to sing songs of encouragement and hopefulness to help make their days go by faster. Another great point is the time the song was written probably had a lot to do with its meaning. The 1960’s were an extreme, but entertaining time for Americans; things were always changing.
Be back soon for the third post!
~Brittany B.
Chase Hart-Section 50
I personally agree overall with what Matt Wilbanks and Sam Mencher have to say about Sam Cooke's song. While Cooke may have been appealing more to African Americans during this time, he also may have written this song to appeal to all oppressed people during this time. I also agree with what Kyle Tyler said because I felt like he was right in stating that this time was a harsh and trying time for all Americans. Another song that I found that might relate to this topic People Got To Be Free by the Young Rascals. It talks about how people struggle to be free because everybody deserves it (http://www.thepeaches.com/music/60s/PeopleGotToBeFree.htm). This song really coincides with the theme of change and struggle for everybody to be equal in society.
Will Gregg. 11. Joey Schumacher
Hey Everyone,
After reading everyones second and third comments, it is apparent that we all feel the sam way. The song itself is very self explanitory about its meaning and intent. I like the point Sam made by saying how the 1950's were so different from the 1960's and people didnt fully know how to cope with the change, also Will made a " how many roads must a man walk down befor you call him a man" This seems obvious about getting all races treated equal. Here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ced8o50G9kg.
Keith Bisgounis
Hello Again,
I just finished reading/watching the links that Will and Keith posted. I think they are very well related to the song by Cooke. I think the overall summary is equal rights and the fight for freedom. I found this song (posted below) written by an African American. The song seems similar to Cooke's in that it speaks of the hardships of his life.
http://www.aaregistry.com/pdetail.php3?id=316
Hope you all enjoy the reading! This blog project was insightful. Good luck with the rest of this semester!
Later,
Brittany
Chase Hart-Section 50
Hey again,
Matt made a good point about the time period that this song was written giving people the “opportunity for more freedom.” I believe Sam Cooke wanted to encourage people to embrace this opportunity. Also, I hadn’t thought about what Sam said connecting the 1960’s to today’s changes in society. I thought “Freedom Time” by Bob Marley addresses some similar things such as change and freedom. It’s on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDTO3W4c
myQ and these are some of the lyrics http://www.lyricstime.com/bob-marley-freedom
-time-lyrics.html. Marley sings to get ready which is encouraging; similar to when Cooke sings that he knows a change gonna come.
Have a good rest of the semester,
Colleen R.
Section 60
Hi, Sam Mencher here again. I read the comments from the second posts and it was interesting seeing how people tried to tie in different meanings to the song. I saw that some of you agreed with some of the things I mentioned in my last post. I also saw how you found the info on the song of the internet, to get a better understanding of the song. That was very interesting as well. I saw that Kyle Tyler and Donna E. both talked about the civil right movement and how that can be directly tied to the song. I totally agree, thats a good point. I went on youtube and found a video that was made for Obama and it used the song in the background. The video showed scenes of 9/11 and promoted the change that Obama has been marketing in his campaign. The political tie to Obama is irrelevant, it shows how the song can be related to today's world and compared to the time back in the 1950's and 60's. It's interesting that they show scene's from 9/11, just like they showed scene's from Vietnam back then. I found this video to be difficult to watch, because I am from Manhattan, New York and lived through the attacks and saw the losses of so many first hand. Its almost impossible for me to look at those images anymore, but I think they are important to show to people to understand what really happen. I feel the song gives us the lesson that if we are going to change, we must do it ourselves and not inflict it on others like we have in Iraq and like we did in Vietnam. That is only creating more hatred. Well, thats about all. Have a good one.
here's the youtube link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jT8UgLlCHVI
Sam Mencher.26.Schumacher
Hey guys,
I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s final posts because the links that are being provided have done an excellent job of connecting this song to current issues. Colleen, thank you for posting the link with Bob Marley’s “Freedom Time” I think that it does a great job of encouraging the people who are being oppressed to stay encouraged. I also liked how Sam Mencher was able to connect the war in Vietnam to that of the War in Iraq and how many people are ready to see a change in American foreign policies. My link shows African-Americans participating in what is known as a “sit-in”. I really liked this non-violent tactic because it required for blacks to work in unison and in a peaceful manner.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/Brown/history/6-legacy/images/sit-in.jpg
Kyle Tyler. 26. Schumacher
Hey again everyone!
I have really enjoyed the responses to the blog. I agree with Matt that the we all understand the overall theme of the song. Colleen was also right when she said that the actual tune and tempo of the song relate to the background of Sam Cooke. I remember a famous song that was sung at the march on Washington with Martin Luther King, it was "We Shall Overcome." I think that song has a real tie to the song by Sam Cooke that there was some changes coming and that they were going to happen soon. the song was not sung to be pushy or forward, but to let people know things were changing. Enjoyed the blog with all of you. Have a great rest of the semester.
Donna E.sec (2)
Hey everyone,
Matt Wilbanks again. It's pretty easy to see that we're all on the same page. This song is obviously about change, and probably refers to the problems that were occurring around the time song was written. Change is something that is independent of time. Injustices are always going to occur, and changes will have to be made to correct these injustices. I like how Sam compared the change that Cooke was writing about to the “hope and change” campaign from Obama, and the references to the 9/11 attacks. Change is an ongoing process that is, and always will be present to correct mistakes and injustices. There are so many songs with a theme of change. I read Colleen’s post of the lyrics to Time by Bob Marley, and it had a very similar message. I think a lot of music has this common theme of change because music has a lot of influence over people. When I heard the song by Sam Cooke, I immediately thought of Blackbird by the Beatles. It’s a metaphor of a Blackbird with “broken wings” and “sunken eyes”. The lyrics are about how now is the time for the bird to “learn to fly”, and this is the time its been waiting for. It’s basically saying that now is the time for change, so go out and change things. It’s been fun.
Peace.
Matt Wilbanks
Section 60
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