Psalm 19:14: “ Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight... ” Rivers of Babylon is a rastafarian song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Bible. The Melodians original versions of the song appeared in the soundtrack album of the 1972 movie The Harder They Come, making it internationally known. The song was popularized in Europe by the 1978 Boney M. cover version, which was awarded a platinum disc and is one of the top ten all-time best-selling singles in the UK. The B-side of the single, Brown Girl in the Ring, also became a hit. Biblical psalms The song is based on the Biblical Psalm 137:1-4, a hymn expressing the lamentations of the Jewish people in exile following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC: Previously the Kingdom of Israel, after being united under Kings David and Solomon, was split in two, with the Kingdom Of Israel in the north, conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC which caused the dispersion of 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel. The southern Kingdom of Judah (hence the name Jews), home of the tribe of Judah and part of the Tribe of Levi, was free from foreign domination until the Babylonian conquest to which Rivers Of Babylon refers. “ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion... They carried us away in captivity requiring of us a song... Now how shall we sing the Lords song in a strange land? ” The namesake rivers of Babylon are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The song also has words from Psalm 19:14: “ Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight... ” It is one of a few pop songs whose lyrics come directly from the Bible (See also Turn! Turn! Turn! by Pete Seeger, 40 by U2, and The Lords Prayer by Sister Janet Mead). The melody bears a strong resemblance to How Dry I Am. Rastafari In the Rastafarian faith, the term Babylon is used for any governmental system which is either oppressive or unjust. In Jamaica, Rastafarians also use Babylon to refer to the police, often seen as a source of oppression because they arrest members for the use of marijuana (which is sacramental for Rastafarians). Therefore, By the rivers of Babylon refers to living in a repressive society and the longing for freedom, just like the Israelites in captivity. Rastafarians also identify themselves as belonging to the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The original version specifically refers to Rastafarian belief in Haile Selassie, by changing references to the Lord in the Biblical text to Far-I and King Alpha. Both terms refer to Selassie (Selassies wife Menen Asfaw is known as Queen Omega). In addition, the term the wicked replaces the neutral they of Psalm 137 in the line they that carried us away captive required of us a song.... According to David Stowe, Brent Dowe, the lead singer of the Melodians, told Kenneth Bilby that he had adapted Psalm 137 to the new reggae style because he wanted to increase the publics consciousness of the growing Rastafarian movement and its calls for black liberation and social justice. Like the Afro-Protestant Revival services, traditional Rastafarian worship often included psalm singing and hymn singing, and Rastas typically modified the words to fit their own spiritual conceptions; Psalm 137 was among their sacred chants.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 10:12:45 +0000
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