It has been years since Paul Simon made his initial trip to South Africa and met Joseph Shabalala, and the other members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, in a recording studio in Johannesburg. Having listened to a cassette of their music sent by a DJ based in Los Angeles, Simon was captivated by the stirring sound of bass, alto and tenor harmonies. Simon incorporated the traditional sounds of black South Africa into the Graceland album, a project regarded by many as seminal to today's explosive interest in World music
'60s Africa found the Zulu and Sotho beginning to incorporate the influences of African American R&B, jazz, and blues into their traditional, indigenous music. New styles such as township jazz, pennywhistle street music, Kwela, and marabi were formed. Eventually, these myriad styles coalesced to create a new hybrid pop music that came to be known as mbaqanga. Though mbaqanga employs the traditional instrumentation of Western pop (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals), the approach to song structure and rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrasing is uniquely African.
Recorded between 1981 and 1984, THE INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAT OF SOWETO is the first (and arguably the best) of a slew of South African pop recordings that soon followed. Characterized by insistent, rhythmically complex beats, elastic, burbling basslines, tight, ska-sounding guitar accompaniment, and thick, multi-part vocals, this music is as intriguing as it is appealing. Groups with such names as Udokotela Shange Namajaha and Amaswazi Emvelo serve up bright, infectious melodies and percussively insistent tracks that are clearly intended for dancing.
Mbube
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At the end of the day they all sit together around the fire
They have their supper and relax and talk a little
The youngest boy becomes afraid
He hears all the sounds of the wild animals in the forest
Cheetahs, wolves jackals and lions
He starts crying at the darkness
Then his mother takes him in her arms
And sings to him
The family is always strong together
They protect one another
Grandparents, his father and mother
Uncles, aunts, cousins brothers and sisters
They all join and sing together
Soon he falls asleep, only the beautiful song fills his ears
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
Hush, my baby, don't fear my darling
The lion sleeps tonight
Hush, my baby, don't fear my darling
The lion sleeps tonight
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
Hush, my baby, don't fear my darling
The lion sleeps tonight
Hush, my baby, don't fear my darling
The lion sleeps tonight
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
Mbube
The lyrics to Ladysmith Black Mambazo's song Mbube tell the story of a family that lives close to the jungle. At the end of a day, the family sit together around the fire, enjoying their supper and talking a little. The youngest boy becomes afraid, however, as he hears all the sounds of the wild animals in the forest - cheetahs, wolves, jackals and lions - which fill him with fear. The boy starts crying at the darkness but then his mother takes him in her arms and sings to him, reminding him that the family is always strong together and will protect one another.
The family then all sing together and soon the boy falls asleep, only the beautiful song fills his ears. The lyrics then merge into the famous chorus of "In the Jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight," which repeats over and over again. The chorus continues to remind the baby that there is nothing to be afraid of since the lion is sleeping tonight, and that he should not fear while his mother is singing soothingly to him.
The song is a beautiful reminder of the importance of family unity, and how love and togetherness can soothe our fears and protect us. The chorus can be seen as a reassuring anthem, reminding us that even though we are surrounded by a world full of danger, during the darkness of night, there is still some calmness and peace to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
A family lived close to the jungle
This song revolves around a family that resides near a jungle
At the end of the day they all sit together around the fire
The family sits together and spends time around the fire, after their day ends
They have their supper and relax and talk a little
Following their dinner, they unwind and spend some time chatting
The youngest boy becomes afraid
The youngest member of the family becomes frightened
He hears all the sounds of the wild animals in the forest
He listens to the sounds of different animals in the nearby woods
Cheetahs, wolves jackals and lions
Various predatory animals such as cheetahs, wolves, jackals and lions can be heard
He starts crying at the darkness
The child begins to cry because of the overwhelming darkness of the surrounding environment
And wild sounds that fill him with fear
The intense and alarming sounds of the wild around him adds to the child's fright
Then his mother takes him in her arms
This tender mother offers her lap to her son, comforting him
And sings to him
She sings a lullaby to relax her child
The family is always strong together
This family always stands strong as a unit
They protect one another
They look out for each other and keep each other safe
Grandparents, his father and mother
There are the child's grandparents, mother and father in the family
Uncles, aunts, cousins brothers and sisters
The family is further extended with aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters and cousins
They all join and sing together
All members of this family come together to sing a song
Soon he falls asleep, only the beautiful song fills his ears
Shortly after, the child falls asleep and the sweet melody soothes him
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
This particular verse talks about the jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
It describes how even the king of the jungle, lion sleeps in spite of being a fierce predator
Hush, my baby, don't fear my darling
This line is spoken by the child's mother and she asks him to stay calm and not feel scared
Mbube, mbube, mbube, mbube
The chorus of the song that is repeated multiple times
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: George David Weiss, Hugo E Peretti, Luigi Creatore, Solomon Linda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-vk3bu8ox4g
Coming to Ameriica made me search for this song, and now I listen to every song by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. My favorite song is Tough times never last. Much love from Nairobi kenya
@MANEJ1990
Africa is authentic. We feel so blessed and proud to have been so much gifted by God
@odonovan
Thank you for this part of your soul, Solomon Linda!
@thomastarwater6035
Finally! I’m hearing the long version of the song that was heard over the opening credits of “Coming To America” with Eddie Murphy. That’s some awesome singing! 🎶
@user-zr5tz5vs8r
Wonderful music bringing back old memories RIP Shabalala Mushengu
@babylion-375
Hello Sir! My name is EunBin Lee, a university student from South Korea who studied in UCT for a semester as an exchange student. I am majoring in African Studies and I love introducing culture, music, and must-go-places of Africa to Koreans. I recently made a music review video with my SA friends who major in Music in UCT, We discussed SA history by watching historically famous SA music in chronological order and this video was one the videos we watched together. I am commenting here to get your approval on using this video for about 30 seconds in the review video...I will not use the video if you do not approve, but I really hope that more people in my country would watch and enjoy this song and would know more about South Africa! <3
@williammitchell5201
you may be able to use the 30 second segment for your video under "fair use" laws.
@babylion-375
@@williammitchell5201 Thank you! I will make sure to inform in my video on where exactly I got the source!
@sunshine7979
❤🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
@shaldana
Dunno what it is about African music and LBM. I'm white as white can be (Irish/English) and somehow, their music digs in to my soul and I can't help but close my eyes and picture skies I've never seen.