what is the real meaning behind the song the lion sleeps tonight?
Well, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was a doo-wop song by the Tokens in the laten 50s or early 60s (later covered by Robert John, around 1972). Its lyrics are silly, and don’t mean anything more than what they say.
Now, the song was based on an old African folk song called “Wimoweh,” popularized in America by folk star Pete Seeger. I have no idea what the original African lyrics were, or what they’d mean.
Let me see, it means that “my darling” should be thankful that the village is peaceful this night because the lion is sleeping. At least until that high pitched sheiking comes in during the chorus which would wake and anger every lion in a fifty mile radius.
*Mbube Wimoweh *is a traditional Xhosa or Zulu song. Apparently, the lyrics of Lion Sleeps Tonightis a pretty literal translation. More information at http://www.helmutlottiofficial.com/SOE06.htm
There was actually an article written about this song not long ago in Rolling Stone. It is not a folk song, and it was written by South Africab singing legend Solomon Linda in the 1930’s. The original refrain was uyimbube, uyimbube, meaning basically, “Hey, a Lion!”
The song has mutate a bit over the years, but that’s were it started.