The group recorded some material with Prince Buster before Ken Boothe introduced them to Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label where in 1966 they recorded "Lay It On" (one of the first records to reflect the shift from ska to rocksteady), "Meet Me", "I Should Have Made It Up" and "Let's Join Hands (Together)". Lead vocal duties were now shared between Brevett and Dowe. From 1967 to 1968 they had a number of hits on Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label, including "You Have Caught Me", "Expo 67", "I'll Get Along Without You", and "You Don't Need Me". After recording "Swing and Dine" for record producer Sonia Pottinger, they had further hits with "Little Nut Tree" before recording their biggest hit, "Rivers of Babylon" for Leslie Kong. This song became an anthem of the Rastafarian movement, and was featured on the soundtrack of the movie The Harder They Come. In the early 1970s Brevett also recorded as a solo artist, having his greatest success with "Don't Get Weary". After Kong's death in 1971, they recorded for Lee Perry and Byron Lee's Dynamic Studios. In 1973, Brent Dowe left the group for a solo career. The group reformed briefly a few years later, and again in the early 1980s.
The Melodians regrouped again in the 1990s as part of the roots revival. In 1992 they recorded "Song of Love", which was issued on the Tappa Zukie label. Throughout the later 1990s they continued touring internationally, including appearing at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in California in 2002. In 2005 The Melodians embarked on a West Coast tour.
The death of Tony Brevett in 2013 left McNaughton as the only surviving original member. McNaughton toured as a solo artist in 2014 and subsequently recruited Taurus Alphonso (formerly of the Mellow Tones) and Winston Dias (formerly of The Movers) to form a new Melodians line-up. As of February 2015, the group were recording a new album in Florida with producer Willie Lindo. The Return of the Melodians was released in May 2017 and went on to reach no. 19 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
In February 2017, the Melodians received an 'Iconic Award' from the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA).
Brent Gayford Dowe (29 June 1946 - 29 January 2006) after a rehearsal in preparation for a performance to take place the following weekend at the Jamaican Prime Minister’s residence, Brent Dowe suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 59. The remaining original members Tony Brevett and Trevor McNaughton continued touring in Europe and the U.S. backed by the Yellow Wall Dub Squad.
Tony Brevett (1949 - 25 October 2013) died from cancer after being admitted to hospital in Miami in August.
Trevor McNaughton (James Augustus McNaughton, December 16, 1940 - November 20, 2018) was the last surviving original member of the group.
Rivers of Babylon
The Melodians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remembered Zion
'Cause the wicked carried us away, captivity
Required from us a song
How can we sing King Alpha's song in a strange land?
Required from us a song
How can we sing King Alpha song in a strange land?
Sing it out loud
Sing a song of freedom, sister
Sing a song of freedom, brother, whoa
We gotta sing and shout it
We gotta jump and shout it, yeah
Shout the song of freedom now
Whoa, whoa, whoa
So let the words of our mouth
And the meditation of our heart
Be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Far I
So let the words of our mouth
And the meditation of our heart
Be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Far I
Sing it again
We've got to sing it together
We've got to shout it together
Ohh, na-na-na
Whoa, whoa, whoa
By the rivers of Babylon
Where we sat down
And there we wept
When we remembered Zion
Oh, the wicked carried us away in captivity
Required from us a song
How can we sing King Alpha's song in a strange land?
'Cause the wicked carried us away in captivity
Required from us a song
How can we sing King Alpha's song in a strange land?
Sing it, sing it, sing it
You've got to sing it, brother
We've got to sing it, sister
The Melodians' song "Rivers of Babylon" is a reggae classic that draws from the biblical story of the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. The lyrics evoke the agony of the Israelites as they were taken as captives to Babylon and yearned for their homeland, Zion. The singer is sitting by the rivers of Babylon, weeping as he remembers Zion. The wicked Babylonians have carried him and his people away into captivity, where they are forced to sing King Alpha's song in a strange land. The song becomes a plea to let the words of their mouth and the meditation of their hearts be acceptable in "Thy sight," referring to God.
The song's refrain emphasizes the importance of singing and shouting, of using one's voice to express oneself and to resist captivity. The singer calls on his audience to join him in singing a song of freedom, to shout the song of freedom together. The repetition of the chorus drives home the message that singing and shouting are powerful and necessary tools of resistance, even in the bleakest of circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
By the rivers of Babylon
We were taken away from our home and brought to Babylon
Where he sat down
We sat and thought about Zion
And there he wept
We cried remembering our lost home
When he remembered Zion
We remembered our beloved home, Zion
'Cause the wicked carried us away, captivity
We were forcibly taken into captivity by evil people
Required from us a song
We were asked to sing a song
How can we sing King Alpha's song in a strange land?
We wondered how we can sing our King's song in a foreign land
Sing it out loud
Sing with a resonant voice
Sing a song of freedom, sister
Sing a song that symbolizes freedom, sister
Sing a song of freedom, brother, whoa
Sing a song that symbolizes freedom, brother, whoa
We gotta sing and shout it
We must sing and shout it out loud
We gotta jump and shout it, yeah
We must jump and shout it out loud, yeah
Shout the song of freedom now
Shout out the song of freedom right now
So let the words of our mouth
May the words of our mouth
And the meditation of our heart
And the thoughts of our heart
Be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Far I
Be what Thou wants and pleasing to You, oh Far I
Sing it again
Sing it once more
We've got to sing it together
We have to sing it together, united
We've got to shout it together
We have to shout it together, united
Ohh, na-na-na
Unknown
Sing it, sing it, sing it
Sing it repeatedly
You've got to sing it, brother
You have to sing it, brother
We've got to sing it, sister
We have to sing it, sister
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Agustus Mcnaughton, Frank Farian, George Reyam, Brent Gayford Dowe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind