it is a plea, urgent plea for racial understanding by otis redding, and this was recorded in the wakehe turned me down, and then i go to my little mother ♪ ♪ my dear mother ♪ i said, mother, i said, mother, down on my knees ♪ ♪ there was a time that i thought ♪ ♪ i'm coming, but i know it's been so long, been so long ♪ ♪ to live through all the changes that are coming ♪ >> the other thing that's poignant about this song is that the band playing behind otis redding is an integrated band, booker t and the mgs, two black musicians and two white musicians, the stackhouse band in memphis, so -- and, of course, "change is going to come" was written by sam cook who was inspired by bob dylan's anthem "blowing in the wind" so i just wanted to -- to note the -- it's very rare to have an integrated rock or r & b band in the 1960s still. okay. okay. janis ian's "society child," she is singing the story from the standpoint of a white high school city from a northern city who is giving the reasons for breaking off her relationship with her black boyfriend, and with the dream-like refrain "i can't s