This traditional Nyahbinghi chant may refer to the disciples, when Jesus told them to leave their families behind in order to come and follow him. It may also refer to the days of slavery. The chant, literally and metaphorically, encourages the slave to leave those too afraid to make the journey, and seek their own salvation: a free state, heaven, the Rastafarian life.
American slavers knew that their captives' African culture made them less submissive, so they forbid African languages and religious practices on the plantation. Still slaves would steal away and hold "bush meetings". Sitting in a circle they lamented their captivity and chanted the rites of their homeland. These songs developed into Spirituals, religious work songs that transmitted implicit messages about freedom.
In this next version, Ras Michael sings the same chant in Amharic (an Ethiopian language in the same family as Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic - the language of Jesus). Ras Michael describes meeting his back up singer and discovering that she too spoke Amharic. He implores everyone, "Come now. Let us us study our languages."
gabrail a alma |
Perhaps the best known Amharic phrase to a Reggae listener is "satta massagana", which is the basis of a Nyahbinghi chant that became a popular song by the Abbysinians and established the most fundamental rhythm of Reggae music:
satta massaganna |