Kumbaya

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Cumbayá.

"Come By Here", transcribed by J. Cutting from the singing of H. Wylie, 1926

"Kum ba yah" ("Come by here") is an

folk revival
of the 1950s and 1960s.

The song was originally an appeal to God to come and help those in need.[1] In American politics, the song would later become part of a phrase (sing Kumbaya) denoting unrealistic, excessively optimistic compromises.

Origins

Come By Here / Kum Ba Ya / Kumbaya
Earliest known recording (1926)
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According to

spirituals with the refrain "come by here" or "come by heah". One of these is a different song concerning the story of Daniel in the den of lions. Of the other two, one has been lost, and one cylinder was broken, so it cannot be determined if they are versions of "Kumbaya".[1]

According to an article in Kodaly Envoy by Lum Chee-Hoo, some time between 1922 and 1931, members of the Society for the Preservation of Spirituals[2] collected a version from the South Carolina coast.[3] "Come by Yuh", as they called it, was sung in Gullah, the creole language spoken by the formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants living on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia, as well as The Bahamas.[4] It is possible this is the earliest version, if it was collected before 1926. Because the individual songs in this society's publications are not dated, however, it cannot be dated with certainty to before 1931.[1]

In May 1936, John Lomax, Gordon's successor as head of the Archive of Folk Song, discovered a woman named Ethel Best singing "Come by Here" with a group in Raiford, Florida.[5]

These facts contradict the longstanding copyright and authorship attribution to the white Anglo-American songwriter, Reverend Marvin V. Frey.

Luvale). Frey said the Cunninghams then toured America singing the song with the text "Kum Ba Yah".[1]

The story of an African origin for the phrase circulated in several versions, spread also by the revival group the Folksmiths, whose liner notes for the song stated that "Kum Ba Yah" was brought to America from Angola.[1] As Winick points out, however:

According to Frey, then, the pronunciation “Kum Ba Yah” originated when Luvale-speaking people in Angola and Zaire translated “Come by Here” into their language. That strains credibility on several levels, primarily that “Come by Here” translated into Luvale would not be “Kum Ba Yah;” indeed, for “Come by Here” to translate to “Kum Ba Yah,” the target language would have to be a creole with English as one of its main components, and no such language was common in Angola (then still a Portuguese colony) or Zaire (a country formerly colonized by Belgium, whose primary colonial language was French) in the 1930s. Moreover, the AFC’s cylinder recording of H. Wylie shows that we have no need of such a story. In Wylie’s dialect, which is most likely a form of Gullah, the word “here” is pronounced as “yah,” rendering the song’s most repeated line “come by yah,” a phrase that can be phonetically rendered as either “Kum Ba Yah” or “Kumbaya.”[1]

Although it is often said that the song originated in Gullah, Winick further points out that the Boyd manuscript, which may be the earliest version of the song, was probably not collected from a Gullah speaker.[1]

A 45 rpm recording in a contemporary gospel style was released in 1958 by Little Sugar and the Hightower Brothers as "Come by Here", on the Savoy label (backed with "At the Golden Gate").

Folk music revival and Civil Rights Movement

The Folksmiths, including

Civil Rights Movement of that decade. For example, there is a recording of marchers singing the song as "Come By Here" during the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery (Alabama) march for voting rights.[12]

Political usage

The title of the song is often used

interpersonal relationships
or to criticize their superficiality.

Beginning in the 1990s and increasing in the following decades, references to "Kumbaya" or "singing 'Kumbaya'" entered idiomatic usage in the politics of the United States, often to suggest that someone other than the speaker is too conciliatory or eager to compromise.[13][14] Richard Vatz has characterized these references to the song as sarcastic criticism of consensus "that allegedly does not examine the issues or is revelatory of cockeyed optimism."[13]

For example, in discussing the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, U.S. President Barack Obama commented that the substantive disagreements between the parties "can't be reduced to somehow a matter of let's all hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya.'"[15] Many other high-profile political figures have similarly referred derisively to the singing of the song as a way of expressing doubt or disparagement for potential compromise.[14] Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee explained his skepticism that ideologically aligned candidates in the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries would unite around a single individual by saying, "there's not going to be some magic moment at which three or four of these people sit around a campfire toasting marshmallows, singing 'Kumbaya' and giving the nod to one of their competitors."[16] Businessman and political candidate Herman Cain, speaking to a rally in 2011, said, "Singing ‘Kumbaya’ is not a foreign policy strategy."[13]

Lyrics

Version No. 1[17] Version No. 2[18] Version No. 3 Version No. 4[19]

Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Someone need you, Lord, come by here
Someone need you, Lord, come by here
Someone need you, Lord, come by here
Oh, Lord, come by here.

For the sun, that rises in the sky
For the rhythm of the falling rain
For all life, great or small
For all that's true, for all you do.

Someone's laughing, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Someone's laughing, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Someone's laughing, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Hear me crying, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Hear me crying, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Hear me crying, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Now I need you, Lord, come by here
Sinners need you, Lord, come by here
Sinners need you, Lord, come by here
Oh, Lord, come by here.

Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Someone's crying, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Someone's crying, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Someone's crying, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Hear me singing, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Hear me singing, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Hear me singing, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Come by here, my Lord, come by here,
Come by here, my Lord, come by here,
Come by here, my Lord, come by here,
Oh, Lord, come by here.

Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Someone's praying, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Someone's praying, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Someone's praying, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Hear me praying, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Hear me praying, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Hear me praying, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

In the mornin' see, Lord, come by here,
In the mornin' see, Lord, come by here,
In the mornin' see, Lord, come by here,
Oh, Lord, come by here.

For the second on this world you made,
For the love that will never fade,
For a heart beating with joy,
For all that's real, for all we feel.

Someone's singing, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Someone's singing, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Someone's singing, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Oh, I need you, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Oh, I need you, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Oh, I need you, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

I gon' need you, Lord, come by here,
I gon' need you, Lord, come by here,
I gon' need you, Lord, come by here,
Oh, Lord, come by here.

Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

Oh, Sinners need you, Lord, come by here,
Sinners need you, Lord, come by here,
Sinners need you, Lord, come by here,
Oh my Lord, won't you come by here.

Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.

In the morning - morning, won't you come by here
Mornin' - morning, won't you come by here
In the Mornin' - morning, won't you come by here
Oh, Lord, come by here.

Additional stanzas by Barry Moore (1973), in "Sing and Rejoice" songbook, Herald Press (1979):

In Your Body, Lord, we are one.
In Your Body, Lord, we are one.
In Your Body, Lord, we are one.
O Lord, we are one.

In his banquet, Lord, we find strength.
In his banquet, Lord, we find strength.
In his banquet, Lord, we find strength.
O Lord, we find strength.

Draw us nearer, Lord, each to each.
Draw us nearer, Lord, each to each.
Draw us nearer, Lord, each to each.
O Lord, each to each.

Fill our mind, Lord, with Your peace.
Fill our mind, Lord, with Your peace.
Fill our mind, Lord, with Your peace.
O Lord, with Your peace.

Undivided, Lord, we shall stand.
Undivided, Lord, we shall stand.
Undivided, Lord, we shall stand.
O Lord, we shall stand.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Winick, Stephen (Summer–Fall 2010). "The World's First 'Kumbaya' Moment: New Evidence about an Old Song" (PDF). Folklife Center News, Library of Congress. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  2. ^ "Gullah Spirituals". The Society for the Preservation of Spirituals. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Jeffery, Weiss (November 12, 2006). "'Kumbaya': How did a sweet simple song become a mocking metaphor?". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  4. ^ "Mama Lisa'a World-Kumbaya". Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Stern, Gary (June 27, 2009). ""Kumbaya, My Lord:" Why we sing it; why we hate it". The Journal News. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  6. ^ "Smithsonian Folkways, We've Got Some Singing to Do, FW02407" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  7. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Pete Seeger and Sonny Terry at Carnegie Hall (1958)". AllMusic. Netaktion, LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  8. ^ Amy, Ernest F. (1957). Cooperative Recreation Service: A unique project. Midwest Folklore 7 (4, Winter): 202–6. ISSN 0737-7037. OCLC 51288821.
  9. ^ "World Around Songs: Our History". Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  10. ^ Zorn, Eric (August 31, 2006). "Someone's dissin', Lord, kumbaya". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
  11. ^ Semioli, Tom. "Joan Baez in Concert, Pt. 1 (1962)". AllMusic. Netaktion, LLC. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  12. ^ "Freedom Songs: Selma, Alabama". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c Weeks, Linton (January 13, 2012). "When Did 'Kumbaya' Become Such A Bad Thing?". NPR.org. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Waldman, Katy (March 29, 2016). "How "Kumbaya" Went From Sincere Protest Song to Drippy Punch Line". Slate Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  15. ^ "Obama says Netanyahu differences go beyond 'Kumbaya'". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  16. ^ Stephanopoulos, George (January 8, 2012). "Mike Huckabee Says Mitt Romney May Run Table to Nomination". ABC News. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  17. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Mitra (September 6, 2009). "Kumbaya" (in English and Persian). YouTube.
  18. ^ "Kumbaya, my Lord" (PDF). evangeliser.nu. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  19. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Sacro Capo (March 11, 2009). "Kumbaya my Lord". YouTube.

External links

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