Instead of lyrics, Seeger sings a “ vocalise “-a wordless melody-over the chanted refrain, accompanying himself on the banjo. ” The arrangement by Musiqa’s Anthony Brandt, created especially for this program, is adapted from Pete Seeger’s recorded performance. In the original recording, Solomon Linda’s voice soars over a chorus of men chanting “ imbube, mbube. To her, the lyrics implore the lion to leave the flock alone. Scholar David Düsing translates it as “wake up.” According to Düsing, the last king of the Zulus, Chaka, was known as “the Lion.” Düsing explains: “Following his death, a legend arose that ‘the Lion’ was only sleeping and would one day awaken.” However, Linda’s youngest daughter translates “ mbube ” as “stay away.” She reported that the song was inspired by Linda’s childhood job as a herder, guarding his cattle against marauding lions. ” The Zulu word “ mbube ” has been translated in contradictory ways. A lawsuit, on behalf of Linda’s heirs, was finally resolved in February 2006: The Linda family was awarded a share of royalties from 1987 to the present.Īs is often the case in indigenous song, the meaning of the song is open to interpretation.

He lived in poverty, working as a floor sweeper, and died penniless in 1962. Meanwhile, Solomon Linda had signed away the rights to his song in 1952 for less than a dollar. The song gained renewed popularity when it was included in the soundtrack for the 1994 animated film The Lion King. The Tokens’ version topped the charts worldwide and was recorded by over 170 artists, earning millions of dollars in royalties for Peretti, Creatore and Weiss. The Tokens’ song-writers Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George Weiss were credited as the lyricists and composers. In 1961, a rock band, the Tokens made an adaptation of Seeger’s version, added English lyrics, and retitled the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Wimoweh was released with great success by Seeger’s band, The Weavers. The famous American folk singer and songwriter Pete Seeger heard the Evening Birds’ recording, created his own version of the song, and changed the title to Wimoweh -a mispronunciation of the original title. Mbube is an example of the tortured path often followed by folk songs as they gain popularity and become part of mass market culture. It was recorded in South Africa by Solomon Linda and his group The Original Evening Birds in 1939.

Wimoweh music video