Listen to or download the song.

Play this on the jukebox and listen to a lot of other versions too.
You can also download all the different musical versions, in the order they went up.

Download the sheet music for this version by Mary Beck and see all the available sheet music versions.

From Janis: Mary Beck is a private piano instructor and professional church organist & pianist, who sent me this video with a note saying “I started this arrangement with ‘Down to the River to Pray’ because I wanted to contrast the feelings of despair and uncertainty reflected in those lyrics with the message of hope for better days found in ‘Better Times Will Come’”.

I thought the arrangement was pretty wonderful, and I also loved that she scratches her nose during the performance. (Because, well, who hasn’t?) Plus, it’s important that when children are learning an instrument, they (and their teachers) also learn that sometimes, your nose itches, and you’ve just got to scratch. If you can do it as Mary Beck does, without dropping a beat, more power to you.

BETTER TIMES WILL COME
(Janis Ian)

Better times, better times will come.
Better times, better times will come.
When this world learns to live as one,
oh, better times will come

When we greet each dawn without fear
knowing loved ones soon will be near
When the winds of war
cannot blow any more
Oh, better times will come

CHORUS

Though we live each day as our last
we know someday soon it will pass
We will dance, we will sing
in that never-ending spring
Oh, better times will come

CHORUS

Words & music by Janis Ian; © 2020 Janis Ian. All rights reserved; used by permission.