Kumbaya
Encyclopedia : K : KU : KUM : Kumbaya
"Kumbaya" (also spelled Kum Ba Yah) is a 19th century African American folk song, originating among the Gullah, a group descended from enslaved Africans living on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. The Gullah word "Kumbaya" is derived from the Standard English phrase "come by here." Originally a spiritual, the song enjoyed newfound popularity during the folk revival of the 1960s, largely due to Joan Baez' 1962 recording of the song, and became associated with the civil rights struggles of that decade. The melody is believed to be of Gullah or African origin.
Lyrics
- Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya!
- Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya!
- Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya!
- O Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya!
- O Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya!
- O Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s praying, Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s praying, Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s praying, Lord, kumbaya!
- O Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s singing, Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s singing, Lord, kumbaya!
- Someone’s singing, Lord, kumbaya!
- O Lord, kumbaya!
- Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya!
- Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya!
- Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya!
- O Lord, kumbaya!
- Kum ba yah, my Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Kum ba yah, my Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Kum ba yah, my Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Oh Lord! Kum ba yah!
- Hear me crying, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Hear me crying, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Hear me crying, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Oh Lord! Kum ba yah!
- Hear me singing, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Hear me singing, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Hear me singing, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Oh Lord! Kum ba yah!
- Hear me praying, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Hear me praying, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Hear me praying, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Oh Lord! Kum ba yah!
- Oh I need you, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Oh I need you, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Oh I need you, Lord, Kum ba yah!
- Oh Lord! Kum ba yah!
Popular usage
The song has come to be associated with unity and closeness. It is a standard campfire song in Scouting, YMCA, the Indian Guides, and others. Many times, in news and sports, when there are two people who disagree but need to work together, it is used. For example, "Although Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens will play together in 2005, don't expect them to be singing Kumbaya."This song was once used on a Toys "R" Us commercial when "Geoffrey the Giraffe" sung it, but changed the lyrics to "Somebody's playing with toys."
Eek! the Cat often exclaimed "Kumbaya!"
This was a tune commonly used in Catholic "folk" Mass of the 1970's.
See also
External links
- [Easybyte] - free easy piano arrangement of Kumbaya
- http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980911a.html
- [Advanced piano duet]
- [Listen to its Short version]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.