Context

This line is from the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens from the album The Lion Sleeps Tonight (1961).

To really understand this line, we have to know the history behind the song. 

In 1939, South African singer Solomon Linda recorded the song "Mbube" with his group, The Evening Birds. The word mbube means "lion" in Zulu, and The Evening Birds had the idea for the song while they were chasing away lions from their families' cattle.

Around 1948, Gallo Record Company, where "Mbube" was recorded, sent the track to the U.S. in the hopes it would be distributed. Pete Seeger got a hold of it and recorded it under the title "Wimoweh" with his group, The Weavers, giving no credit to Linda or The Evening Birds.

Oops?

In 1961, a group named The Tokens were looking for a record label, and they auditioned with "Wimoweh". The producers liked their sound, had "Wimoweh" rewritten with English lyrics, and called it "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." 

So where does that leave us? Well, the line is a reference to the original Zulu song, where the word "uyimbube" is used—it translates to "you're a lion."

History lesson concluded. Bet you weren't expecting that.

Where you've heard it

The Lion King. And…no, that's probably it, just The Lion King.

Most people assume the song originated with the movie and are unaware of its rich history. So next time your little cousin has a Disney movie night, give her a history lesson on where the song came from. You might be re-labeled as "the boring cousin who kept interrupting The Lion King," but she'll probably thank you someday.

Probably.

Don't hold us to that.

Versions of the Song:

• Because we think it's important to give credit where credit is due, here's Solomon Linda's "Mbube," recorded in 1939 with his group, The Evening Birds.
• And here's The Weaver's version of the song, "Wimoweh," recorded in 1952.
• And finally, remember Marcel the monkey from Friends? He was a fan of this jam.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

If you're discussing how the original artist basically made no money from his own song and died in poverty, your pretentious factor moves up to an 8, but we commend you for giving props to Solomon Linda.