Rivers of Babylon

"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. Rivers of Babylon was covered in 1978 by Germany-based disco band Boney M, with a version that was released as a single. Boney M.'s release stayed at the #1 position in the UK for five weeks and was also the group's only significant US chart entry, peaking at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK Boney M. sold more than 1,985,000 copies of the song, meaning the single was awarded a platinum disc and is one of the top ten all-time best-selling singles in the UK. In Canada, the song was a Top 25 hit on the RPM Magazine top 100 singles chart and reached #9 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was the first single from the band's equally successful 1978 album Nightflight to Venus. Some controversy arose when the first single pressings only credited Frank Farian and Reyam (aka Hans-Jörg Mayer) of Boney M; after an agreement with Dowe and McNaughton, these two were also credited on later pressings. Boney M. performed an early mix of the song in a German TV-show singing "How can we sing King Alpha's song" although it was changed to "the Lord's song" (as in the biblical quote) in the released versions. King Alpha refers to Haile Selassie. Selassie's wife Menen Asfaw is known as Queen Omega aka The Queen.

By the rivers of Babylon There we sat down Yeah, we wept When we remembered Zion By the rivers of Babylon There we sat down Yeah, we wept When we remembered Zion When the wicked Carried us away in captivity Required from us a song Now how shall we sing the Lord's song In a strange land? When the wicked Carried us away in captivity Requiring of us a song Now how shall we sing the Lord's song In a strange land? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight By the rivers of Babylon There we sat down Yeah, we wept When we remembered Zion By the rivers of Babylon There we sat down Yeah, we wept When we remembered Zion By the rivers of Babylon (Dark tears of Babylon) There we sat down (You got to sing a song) Yeah we wept (Sing a song of love) When we remembered Zion (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) By the rivers of Babylon (Rough bits of Babylon) There we sat down (You hear the people cry) Yeah we wept (They need their god) When we remembered Zion (Ooh, have the power)