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Could someone explain the meaning of the sixties hit, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"?

Question #127228. Asked by brigadier1974.
Last updated Oct 14 2012.
Originally posted Oct 14 2012 7:59 AM.

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dcpddc478 star
Answer has 1 vote
dcpddc478 star
17 year member
120 replies avatar

Answer has 1 vote.
There seems to be more than one interpretation of the lyrics. Per Wikapedia:
"Seeger explained his interpretation of the song, which he believed to be traditional, as an instance of a "sleeping-king" folk motif about Shaka, Warrior King of the Zulus, along the lines of the mythical European sleeping king in the mountain: Shaka the Lion, who heroically resisted the armies of the European colonizers, is supposed not to be dead but only sleeping and will one day awaken and return to lead his oppressed people to freedom. University of Texas folklorist, Veit Erlmann, however, argues that the song's meaning is more literal and refers to an incident in Linda's own youth when he actually killed a lion cub."

Oct 14 2012, 8:13 AM
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