Ee-e-e-um-um-a weh

[lost-in-nj]

ARTIST: The Tokens
TITLE: The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Lyrics and Chords


Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh
Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh
Wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh (4X)

/ G C G D / /
/ G C / G D / :

In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
In the jungle, the quiet jungle
The lion sleeps tonight

{Refrain}
Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh
Wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh (2X)
Ee-e-e-um-um-a-weh
Wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh, wemoweh (2X)

Near the village, the peaceful village
The lion sleeps tonight
Near the village, the quiet village
The lion sleeps tonight

{Refrain}

Hush my darling, don't fear my darling
The lion sleeps tonight
Hush my darling, don't fear my darling
The lion sleeps tonight

{Refrain}

[Elidor]

1. My lucky song!

I knew just what it was from the title. :)

Great music. :thumbsup:

"Mbube" (Zulu for "lion") was first recorded by its writer, Solomon Linda, and his group, The Evening Birds, in 1939. Gallo Record Company paid Linda a single fee for the recording and no royalties. "Mbube" became a hit throughout South Africa and sold about one hundred thousand copies during the 1940s. The song became so popular that Mbube lent its name to a style of African a capella music, though the style has since been replaced by isicathamiya (a softer version).

Record company Folkways brought the song to the attention of the folk group The Weavers' Pete Seeger. In 1952, they recorded their version entitled "Wimoweh", a mishearing of the original song's chorus of 'uyimbube' (meaning "you're a lion"). Pete Seeger had made some his own additions to the melody. The song was credited to Solomon Linda and Paul Campbell (Campbell being a pseudonym for the four members of the group).

It was published by Folkways. Their 1952 version, arranged by Gordon Jenkins, became a top-twenty hit in the U.S., and their live 1957 recording turned it into a folk music staple. This version was covered in 1959 by The Kingston Trio.

New lyrics to the song were written by George Weiss, Luigi Creatore, and Hugo Peretti, based very loosely upon the meaning of the original song. The Tokens' 1961 cover of this version rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and still receives fairly frequent replay on many American oldies radio stations. In the UK an up-tempo rendering of this version was a top-ten hit for Karl Denver and his Trio. In 1972 Robert John did a cover of this version. Since then, "Wimoweh" / "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" has remained popular and frequently covered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_lion_sleeps_tonight