The vocal trio was originally formed in 1968 by Bernard Collins and Donald Manning. Their first song was "Satta Massagana", which was strongly influenced by Carlton Manning's "Happy Land". "Satta Massagana" is a Rastafarian hymn sung partly in the ancient Ethiopian Amharic language. They recruited a third vocalist, who was still at school and often unable to attend rehearsals; he was soon replaced by Donald's brother Lynford Manning, who had previously been a member of their brother Carlton Manning's group Carlton and The Shoes.
"Satta Massagana" was first recorded for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in March 1969, but he decided against releasing it, seeing no commercial potential for what he saw as a song constituting cultural subversion. In 1971, the group purchased the master tapes from Dodd for £90 and released it on their own Clinch label, the single becoming a massive success, prompting Dodd to release his own instrumental and deejay versions. The group released further takes on the song on Clinch by Tommy McCook, Big Youth, and Dillinger, as well as their own "Mabrak", featuring the group reciting passages from the Old Testament. It has since been recorded by dozens of artists. The group's second release, "Declaration of Rights", featured Leroy Sibbles on backing vocals, and like their first was a huge hit in Jamaica, (and subsequently in the international market) and has been covered several times since. Their 1973 single "Y Mas Gan" was similar to "Satta" in its use of Amharic.
The group continued to record throughout the 1970s for producers including Lloyd Daley, Tommy Cowan, and Geoffrey Chung, and their debut album, Forward on to Zion was produced by Clive Hunt and released in 1976. The follow-up, Arise (1978), was recorded under stressful conditions with internal rivalries threatening to break up the group, and after the album's release, Collins left the band, to be eventually replaced by Carlton Manning. This line-up performed at the 1979 Reggae Sunsplash festival, but split up the following year.
Donald Manning had a brief solo career in the early 1980s, in which he recorded as Donald Abyssinian.
Bernard Collins launched his own version of the group in the late 1980s, with two versions of the group existing for a time. The original line-up reunited in 1998 and went on to record new material, including the singles "African Princess" and "Swing Low" and the album Reunion, although Collins was not involved in songwriting at this time. Collins left again in 1999 and released material as Bernard Collins & the Abyssinians, releasing an album the same year.
The Abyssinians are credited on "Slave Song", from Sade's 2002 album, Lovers Live.
Discography
Studio albums
1976 : Satta Massagana - Jam Sounds (reissued 1988 on Clinch, 1993, 2007 on Heartbeat, also released as Satta and Forward on to Zion)
1978 : Arise - Tuff Gong/Virgin/Clinch
1998 : Reunion - Artists Only
Compilation albums
1982 : Forward - Alligator
1994 : Best of the Abyssinians - Musidisc
1996 : 19.95 + TAX
1998 : Satta Dub - Tabou 1
1998 : Declaration of Dub - Heartbeat
1999 : Last Days - Clinch (credited to Bernard Collins)
2003 : Abyssinians & Friends Tree of Satta vol. 1 - Blood & Fire
Live albums
2002 : Live in San Francisco - 2b1 II
Abendigo
The Abyssinians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Working dead(?) to be thrown in the furnace
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
They had no fear, no fear at all
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let him be praised
It was God, let him be praised
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
It was three, now it's four in the fire
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
All were amazed by such mighty power
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let him be praised
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let him be praised
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
The lyrics to The Abyssinians' song Abendigo are a retelling of the biblical story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the book of Daniel. These three Hebrew men were servants of King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, and one day they refused to worship a golden image created by the king. In response, Nebuchadnezzar ordered them to be thrown into a fiery furnace, but miraculously they were not harmed and even had a fourth figure with them in the fire, whom they believed to be an angel or divine being.
The lyrics of the song praise God for protecting Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace, using the name "Igziabeher," a Rastafarian term for God. The repeated phrase "yim mas gan" translates to "let him be praised" in Amharic, a language spoken in Ethiopia. This reflects the Abyssinians' connection to Rastafarianism and Jamaica's cultural ties to Ethiopia.
The song is also notable for its use of harmonies, with the three members of The Abyssinians singing in unison throughout most of the song. The repetitive nature of the song's lyrics and melody create a meditative and uplifting effect, adding to the spiritual feeling of the piece.
Line by Line Meaning
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Refers to the three friends who were about to be thrown into a furnace by their captors
Working dead(?) to be thrown in the furnace
Implies that the friends were resigned to their fate and had given up on trying to escape or fight back
They had no fear, no fear at all
Contrary to expectations, the friends were not afraid of being thrown into the furnace
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
Acknowledges that it was God who saved the friends from their predicament
It was God, let him be praised
Repeats the gratitude and reverence for God's intervention and protection
It was three, now it's four in the fire
Indicates the presence of an additional being in the furnace with the three friends, believed by some to be an angel or manifestation of God
All were amazed by such mighty power
Highlights the awe-inspiring and miraculous nature of the friends' survival from the fiery furnace
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Repetition of the friends' names, possibly to emphasize their unity and faith
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Repetition of the friends' names, possibly to emphasize their unity and faith
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Repetition of the friends' names, possibly to emphasize their unity and faith
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Repetition of the friends' names, possibly to emphasize their unity and faith
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Repetition of the friends' names, possibly to emphasize their unity and faith
Contributed by Avery F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tpe54
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Were condemned to be thrown in the furnace
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
They had no fear, no fear at all
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let Him be praised
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let Him be praised
(..)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
It was three, now it's four, in the fire
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
All were amazed by such mighty power
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let Him be praised
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let Him be praised
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego..
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego..
Note:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are men recorded in the book of Daniel Chapters 1-3, known for their exclusive devotion to God. See the biblical reference for more information, or read the book of Daniel in the Bible.
tonho br
Shadrach, Meshach and Abedendigo
Were condemned to be thrown in the furnace
Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego
They had no fear, no fear at all
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let him be praised
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let him be praised
Michiel v/d Vlies
It was Jesus who saved them!
Daniel 3:16-28 King James Version (KJV)
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery
furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and
their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery
furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding
hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
David Jamieson
We are so lucky to have this music in our lives. Thank you my brothers,
Biblioteca de Urokhan
greetings my coevals Friends
Pascal ÓMathghamhna
Doesn't matter how much you are religious or not. This is music to inspire your soul!!
H J
This song never fails to give me chills. To me it sounds like the horns that will sound to signal the end times. It sounds like judgement, fire and brimstone and justice and I'm sure all of these things were intentional. Having been brought up to this kind of music I have to skank out to tunes like this with my eyes closed in complete abandon every time.This song can put the fear of God into man. Bless up to the Abyssinians for making this music. I miss this sound in modern reggae so much, I hope it makes a return.
brother chason
Just heard it for the first time last month and can’t get it out of my head
Sean Forde
Reggae music can sound so sweet and soothing to soul when it is played right - original rhythms, fine musicianship and a producer who knows what he's doing. I can't understand why this type who music was starved of airplay at the time and still to this day.
Pedro Silveira
Música muito top 10 conta a história de três homens que não aceitaram adorar senão ao Deus vivo mesmo que as suas vidas fossem tiradas Mas o Deus vivo é Fiel o Glórias a Deus gosto muito desses reggaes que adoram ao todo poderoso Deus criador dos céus e terra e todas as coisas que há
CHRISTOPHER EDUARDO LOPES
Amém
tpe54
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Were condemned to be thrown in the furnace
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
They had no fear, no fear at all
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let Him be praised
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let Him be praised
(..)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
It was three, now it's four, in the fire
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
All were amazed by such mighty power
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let Him be praised
It was Igziabeher, yim mas gan
It was God, let Him be praised
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego..
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego..
Note:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are men recorded in the book of Daniel Chapters 1-3, known for their exclusive devotion to God. See the biblical reference for more information, or read the book of Daniel in the Bible.
Unboxing joy
many thanks!