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
Meditation
The Abyssinians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jah loves you man
Ever know Jah needs you, woman
And to know the things you did
To him,
It makes you want to die.
For greatest love,
All you ever learned
And be loved in return.
Jah loves in return
Why hate your brother man
Do the things to please Jah woman,
Do the right and not the wrong,
And be strong,
For you surely gonna die
For greatest love,
All you ever learned
Is to love,
And be loved in return.
Jah loves in return (Jah loves you man)
The Abyssinians' song "Meditation" is a call for people to love and respect one another, and to live in harmony with nature and with God. The song emphasizes the importance of doing the right thing and not engaging in harmful behaviors, because we all have to answer to God at some point. The lyrics refer to God as "Jah," a Rastafarian term for God, and we are reminded that Jah loves all of us, regardless of our gender, race or social status.
The song suggests that our purpose on this earth is to love and be loved in return, and that this is the greatest lesson we can learn in life. By doing good and loving one another, we can create a better world for ourselves and for future generations. The song stresses the importance of being strong and not giving in to negative influences or temptations, because we all have the power to make a positive difference in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Jah loves you man
God loves you, my fellow man.
Ever know Jah needs you, woman
Do you understand that God also needs you, my sister?
And to know the things you did to him, / It makes you want to die.
When you realize the wrongs you've done to God, it can bring immense guilt and sorrow.
For greatest love, / All you ever learned / Is to love, / And be loved in return.
The pinnacle of love is to simply love and be loved.
Jah loves in return
When you love God, he reciprocates that love to you.
Why hate your brother man
There's no reason to hate your fellow man.
Do the things to please Jah woman, / Do the right and not the wrong, / And be strong, / For you surely gonna die
Do things that please God, do what is right and not wrong, and be strong because we will all eventually face death.
Jah loves in return (Jah loves you man)
Once again, God reciprocates love when we love him.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BARBARA MANNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind