Another post about Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Eve” got me thinking about Leon Russell’s “Out in the Woods”. After listening to it as close as possible I can’t for the life of me make out what the backup singers are chanting at the end of the song. Is it English? Is it a genuine African chant? Is it gibberish? Sounds to me something like “Don’t you think I blah blah blah”. Can anybody clarify this for me.
Link
One of the great remaining unanswered song lyric questions… supposedly it’s Swahili. (I would also love to know because it’s one of my favorite LR songs.)
On edit: The first reply on this page gives a translation (“walking in a circle”), but I have no idea of whether it’s credible.
Thanks for the link cjepson. I was afraid this thread would die a lonely death. Swahili. Sounds about right.
It is Zulu. See this article: Alaska with attitude : Lost in the woods
I had heard the story before about translating “lost in the woods” and got a kick out of the mind set that the Zulu don’t get lost in the woods. And therefore, there is no phrase for it.
Check this out, too. Such a good performance as Leon breaks into preacher-like story telling. At about the 7-minute mark he explains the story behind the the chant. Out In The Woods (Live/Remastered) - YouTube
I’ve always loved that version “Zulus don’t get lost in the woods!”
Ngiyabonga Kennepede! It was worth the wait.