James and the Drifters is an original folk rock band from Huntington and Ft… Read Full Bio ↴James and the Drifters is an original folk rock band from Huntington and Ft Wayne, IN. In 2010 three local singer songwriters, Tyler Gault, Kyle Jackson, and Brent Chamberlin decided to combine efforts and form one group with their music. Two weeks later they hit the studio and recorded a 23 song album. Its been all organic grassroots growth since then. In late 2010 the band grew to include James Freehauf, Matthew Klaffke, and Taylor Zeman, all really good friends of Tyler, Brent, and Kyles. James and the Drifters derives most of its inspiration, lyrics, and music from the hope of the gospels and southern gothic novels. We hope you enjoy the music.

Babylon
James and the Drifters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered zion.

By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered zion.

When the wicked
Carried us away in captivity

Required from us a song
Now how shall we sing the lord's song in a strange land

When the wicked
Carried us away in captivity
Requiering of us a song
Now how shall we sing the lord's song in a strange land

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart
Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight

Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts
Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight

By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered zion.

By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered zion.

By the rivers of babylon (dark tears of babylon)
There we sat down (you got to sing a song)
Ye-eah we wept, (sing a song of love)
When we remember zion. (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)

By the rivers of babylon (rough bits of babylon)
There we sat down (you hear the people cry)
Ye-eah we wept, (they need their god)
When we remember zion. (ooh, have the power)

By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered zion.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of James and the Drifters' song Babylon speaks about a longing for freedom and the pain and sorrow of being held captive in a foreign land. The song references the Biblical story of the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people and their yearning to return to their homeland, Zion. The first two lines of the chorus, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion," speaks about the Jewish people being held captive in Babylon and the sadness they felt when they thought about their home.

The next two lines, "When the wicked carried us away in captivity, Required from us a song, Now how shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land," continues the theme of captivity and speaks about how the captors demanded that the Jewish people sing their songs, but it was a difficult task to sing about their God in a foreign land.

The final lines of the song, "Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts, Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight," reiterates the desire to be seen and freed by a higher power while in captivity.

Overall, the song speaks about the emotional and spiritual struggles that come with being held captive in a foreign land, particularly with the disconnect between one's faith and their current situation.

Line by Line Meaning

By the rivers of babylon, there we sat down
We sat down by the rivers of Babylon.

Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered zion.
We cried when we thought of Zion.

When the wicked
When our oppressors

Carried us away in captivity
Took us as prisoners

Requiering of us a song
Forced us to sing

Now how shall we sing the lord's song in a strange land
How can we sing the Lord's song in a foreign country?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart
Let what we say and think be pleasing to you tonight.

Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight
Please accept what we say and think tonight.

By the rivers of babylon (dark tears of babylon)
We're still by the rivers of Babylon.

There we sat down (you got to sing a song)
We're still sitting down here, and we have to sing.

Ye-eah we wept, (sing a song of love)
We're still crying, but we're singing a love song.

When we remember zion. (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)
We're thinking of Zion still.

By the rivers of babylon (rough bits of babylon)
The Babylon we're in is a harsh place.

There we sat down (you hear the people cry)
We're still sitting down here and hearing people cry.

Ye-eah we wept, (they need their god)
We're still crying because they need their god.

When we remember zion. (ooh, have the power)
We're still thinking of Zion and wishing we had power.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brent Dowe, Frank Farian, George Reyam, Trevor McNaughton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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