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
African Race
The Abyssinians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
African race, the African race.
We are the slave descendants of the African race,
where proud is no disgrace.
Our forefathers were taken away, taken away, taken away.
They were bound in ships and shackled all the way,
like baggage and brought the west.
They swapped my brother now, also, my sister too
for a drink of wine, so they could drink and be merry,
so they could drink and be merry.
I speak Amharic, my sister speaks Swahili
they put us together now, that's why we can't understand,
that's why we can't understand.
We are the slave descendants of the African race,
African race, the African race.
We are the slave descendants of the African race,
where proud is no disgrace,
we're proud of our African race (is no disgrace)
where proud is no disgrace,
we're proud of our African race (is no disgrace)
x2
The Abyssinians' song "African Race" speaks of the legacy of slavery and the struggles of the descendants of the African race. The lyrics present a narrative of the forced migration of African people from Africa to the West as slaves, stripped of their identities and subjected to bondage. The line "We are the slave descendants of the African race" emphasizes the plight of the African people, who were taken forcibly from their homeland and turned into slaves. Despite the oppression and humiliation that their forefathers endured, the song emphasizes pride in their African heritage and culture.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the sense of pride that the descendants of the African race should hold. It emphasizes that pride is no disgrace, and that the African people should take pride in the legacy of their ancestors, and in themselves as descendants of the African race. The lyrics also touch on the idea of language as a divisive factor, as the singer and his sister cannot understand each other despite being from the same African race. This may be taken as a metaphor for the divisive legacies of colonialism and slavery, which have created divisions among African people that remain to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
We are the slave descendants of the African race,
Our ancestors were forcibly taken from Africa as slaves, and we are their descendants.
African race, the African race.
We are specifically referring to the racial and cultural identity of being African.
We are the slave descendants of the African race,
Reiteration of our ancestry as people of African descent.
where proud is no disgrace.
We are proud of our African heritage and it is not something to be ashamed of.
Our forefathers were taken away, taken away, taken away.
Our ancestors were taken away from their homeland and forced into slavery.
They were bound in ships and shackled all the way,
Our ancestors were treated as cargo and transported across the ocean in inhumane conditions.
like baggage and brought the west.
They were treated as possessions and brought to the Western Hemisphere as slaves.
They swapped my brother now, also, my sister too
Slave traders separated families and sold them off for profit.
for a drink of wine, so they could drink and be merry,
The slave traders saw human beings as commodities and were willing to rip families apart for their own pleasure.
so they could drink and be merry.
Reiteration that the slave traders were callous in their treatment of human beings.
I speak Amharic, my sister speaks Swahili
We come from different parts of Africa and speak different languages.
they put us together now, that's why we can't understand,
Despite having the shared experience of being of African descent, we are often separated by language and other differences.
we're proud of our African race (is no disgrace)
Reiteration that we have pride in our African heritage and should not feel ashamed.
where proud is no disgrace,
Reiteration that our pride in our African heritage should not be considered a shameful thing.
we're proud of our African race (is no disgrace)
Final reiteration that there is nothing shameful about being of African descent and we should be proud of our heritage.
x2
Symbol indicating that the chorus is repeated twice more for emphasis.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DONALD MANNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jonatahjimenez3095
We are the slave descendants from the African race
The African race, the African race
We are the slave descendants from the African race
Where proud is no disgrace
Our forefathers were taken away, taken away, taken away
They were bound in ships, and shackled all the way
Like baggage and brought to the west
They swapped my brother now, also my sister too
For a drink of wine, so they could drink and be merry
So they could drink and be merry
(..)
I speak Amharic, my sister speaks Swahili
They put us together now, that's why we can't understand
That's why we can't understand
We are the slave descendants from the African race
The African race, the African race
We are the slave descendants from the African race
Where proud is no disgrace
We're proud of our African race (is no disgrace)
Where proud is no disgrace
We're proud of our African race (is no disgrace)
Where proud is no disgrace..
@chamberlandfill
could anybody create words for how beautiful the beginning of this song is? This is a piece of art that should be documented in human history
@acetrey8018
It is a shame this song has so few views. This is the history of almost every black brother and sister in the Americas. This is the song that tells the story of tens of millions of people!
@jonatahjimenez3095
We are the slave descendants from the African race
The African race, the African race
We are the slave descendants from the African race
Where proud is no disgrace
Our forefathers were taken away, taken away, taken away
They were bound in ships, and shackled all the way
Like baggage and brought to the west
They swapped my brother now, also my sister too
For a drink of wine, so they could drink and be merry
So they could drink and be merry
(..)
I speak Amharic, my sister speaks Swahili
They put us together now, that's why we can't understand
That's why we can't understand
We are the slave descendants from the African race
The African race, the African race
We are the slave descendants from the African race
Where proud is no disgrace
We're proud of our African race (is no disgrace)
Where proud is no disgrace
We're proud of our African race (is no disgrace)
Where proud is no disgrace..
@TheOferwexenfeld
tnxalotbehappy
@DanielFilipiuk
thanks for the lyrics
@Ringolero
Guitar strings come from the abyss at the start of the song then invites his friends. Lovely song one of my all time favs. Makes me wish I spoke Swahili.
@victorsimba3207
Ndugu ukipenda kujifunza kiswahili utajua iwapo una nia(my relative if you like to learn kiswahili you can if u willing. Thanks) Asante.
@welberdesouzaesilva5535
Positividade total,sonzera ,jah bless!!!🔥🔥🔥
@RafaelGouveia2
não canso ouvir
@ReggaeMusicisForYou
Belongs in the Library of Congress if it's not there already! 🔥🔥🔥