Pablo Julián Davis Jan 7, 2014:

La palabra 'Kumbayá' ... No es 'a meaningless chorus'. Es una palabra compuesta, originalmente las tres palabras "Come by here", la última palabra en el habla rural sureña (incluída el habla de las islas costeras llamadas 'Sea Islands', donde prevalecía el dialecto afroamericano llamado 'Gullah', palabra que a su vez era corrupción del nombre 'Angola') se pronunciaba 'hyah'. En efecto, 'Kumbayá, my Lord' significa 'Ven a nosotros, Señor'. Es una pena, pero una canción y su título han caído en el ridículo por razones ajenas a la canción, es decir, por la manera en que se ha usado. En su momento, de modo similar a 'We Shall Overcome', fue un himno importante en el movimiento por la igualdad de derechos civiles de los afroamericanos, una canción que daba fuerza y consuelo spiritual y que promovía la solidaridad entre morenos y blancos dentro de ese movimiento. Un artículo de Samuel G. Freedman (N.Y. Times, 19 Nov. 2010) rastrea bastante bien el largo y extraño camino de esta canción, y de su título. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/us/20religion.html?_r=0

DLyons Nov 3, 2013:

@Christine Lovely! I thoroughly agree (although I make an exception for Pete Seeger).

Christine Andersen Nov 3, 2013:

Trance-inducing dumbing down Hardly anyone knows what Kumbayah actually means, and some politicians want their slogans repeated parrot fashion in the same way, no questions asked. A sort of trance-like acceptance among voters with a message of ´leave it all to us´.

Although I have sung Kumbayah many times with others - and as recently as a fortnight ago - I do not really like it.
With all due respect to the Scout and Guide movement, and others who have used it, for me it symbolises an inarticulate dumbing-down of the messages of fellowship that it is supposed to reinforce.
So from that point of view it is absolutely in context here.

I am not musical, and have always disliked meaningless choruses in songs, from Falderee, faldera (the Wanderer) to Fa-la-la-la-la (boughs of holly) to all the variants of lulla-lullaby.
So Kumbayah comes in that category, sorry folks!
http://voices.yahoo.com/from-spiritual-campfire-cynicism-kum...

philgoddard Nov 2, 2013:

Yes, it's bad writing because you have to stop and work out what on earth the author is talking about. I think DLyons has hit the nail on the head - Kumbaya is a bit of a vacuous song because it keeps repeating the same word over and over again.

DLyons Nov 2, 2013:

Nice style, minimal comprehensibility. I guess "happy-clappy sameness" is what's meant.