Lyr/Tune Add: Zulu Warrior (Josef Marais)

Subject: Zulu Warrior
From: Becky
Date: 08 Sep 97 - 12:00 AM

Hi Tim,

I have no idea what the Rugby teams sing... and I don't ever remember Monty Phyton singing it, but here are the words:

I ka-ma zim-ba zim-ba za-yo, I ka-ma zim-ba zim-ba zie

repeat

See him there the Zulu warrior, See him there the Zulu chief, chief, chief.

That's it! Sing in rounds, but that's the whole song! The book doesn't even have any chords or I give ya' that too!

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Ralph Butts
Date: 08 Sep 97 - 08:42 AM

Becky......I have this on an old Brothers Four album and will check it out for you. Meanwhile, I can't recall any other words either.......Tiger

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Bert
Date: 08 Sep 97 - 11:51 AM

Hold him down the Swazi Warrior,
Hold him down the Swazi King
Hold him down the Swazi Warrior,
Hold him down the Swazi King.

I come a zeema zeema rinktum
I come a zeema zeema zee
I come a zeema zeema rinktum
I come a zeema zeema zee

Hold him down the Swazi Warrior,
Hold him down the Swazi King.

HOI!

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Susan of DT
Date: 08 Sep 97 - 09:36 PM

Gee, I thought it was "See him DANCE, the Zulu warrior, see him dance, the Zulu chief...' and the first part was garbled to

i giva zumba, zumba, zumba I giva zumba, zumba zay

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From:
Date: 09 Sep 97 - 06:52 PM

The one with "dance" does indeed sound like the rugby song. How many songs can there be titled "Zulu Warrior"?

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Sep 97 - 09:49 PM

Welll, the tune I learned at scout camp works fine with any of the lyrics here. Whether it started as a drinking song, a camp song, or a camp drinking song, is a tale yet to be told. My guess is that Lord Baden-Powell learned it one besotten night after a rugby game during the Boer War, and bestowed a sanitized version upon the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Sharon
Date: 09 Sep 97 - 10:20 PM

We sang it a girl scout camp I zigga zumba zumba zumba I zigga zumba zumba zay. I zigga zumba zumba zumba I zigga zumba zumba zay.

Hold 'em down, you Zulu warriors. Hold 'em down, you Zule Chief, Chief, Chief, Chief.....

The chant of Chief...... was sung by one group as a background drumbeat sound while the others repeated the song.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Ferrara
Date: 10 Sep 97 - 11:52 AM

I once read (on a Marais and Miranda album liner?) that the original words were sung by Boer soldiers as "Shoot him down, the Swazi warrior, shoot him down, the Swazi chief." Seems to me Marais and Miranda rewrote it because they liked the song but not the sentiment. They changed it to "See him there, the Zulu warrior."

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Squid
Date: 10 Sep 97 - 11:57 AM

There is no question that there is a Rugby version of this song. Traditionally, a new player is forced to perform the dance in the bar after they scored their first try (touchdown) for the team.

The meaning of "Take em down.." is to take down your pants. And like the gentleman from Canada points out, the result is to get completely naked and fall off of the bar into the crowd.

I scored my first try so long ago, I can't remember if I performed this or not. I don't care what the pictures look like.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: BBJ
Date: 10 Sep 97 - 11:23 PM

I must have been in a school that used Becky's song book. I learned it just like Becky transcribed, but as an ending, a single line monotone chant/shout was done. The line was (phonetically at least): Me come a me go me, WAH!

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: rechal
Date: 11 Sep 97 - 02:16 PM

I learned it at Girl Scout Camp as

I kama zimba, zimba zimba
I kama zimba, zimba zee
I kama zimba, zimba zimba
I kama zimba, zimba zee

Hold him down
(Oh hold him down)
You Zulu Warrior!
Hold him down
(Oh hold him down)
You Zulu Chief - Chief - Chief

Fade chant of "Chief" to dead silence, then scream in unison:
MULLA-GUY!

This last is supposed to be some sort of triumphant war cry, but I am unable to substantiate this, having never actually known any Zulus, warriors or otherwise.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Penny S.
Date: 26 May 99 - 07:49 AM

My father knew the "Hold him down" version through the Engineers, though not the preceding zimba bit. His version fitted in with some other engineering words about pontoons.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 26 May 99 - 07:58 AM

...and the "Chief! Chief! Chief!" part is greatly improved by banging a beer tray on your (or somebody else's) head in time. Cetewayo is, no doubt, rotating gracefully in his grave.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Tom May
Date: 26 May 99 - 09:03 AM

I seem to remember hearing a Royal Engineers version to the same tune as the Rugby song. the only part I can recall runs somethine like

"I saw a Colonel sitting on a raft, "I saw a Colonel looking bloody daft, "Hold him down 'til we get over, "Hold him down you pontooneers, eers, eers, eers,"

then back to the "Ay zumba, zumba..." bit

Just my two penn'orth

regards

Tom

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Penny S.
Date: 26 May 99 - 10:32 AM

Hmm, not the version I knew, which was about making fast the dinghy:

You make fast, I'll make fast
Make fast the dinghy
Make fast the dinghy
Make fast the dinghy
Make fast the dinghy pontoon.

And then the Zulu, or was it Swazi, warrior,

And something about marching on to Laffensplain.

What do I know? I'm not a sapper. (British version - certainly not USA version, whatever that insulting term means).

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Tom May
Date: 26 May 99 - 10:50 AM

> I'm not a sapper. (British version - certainly not USA >version, whatever that insulting term means).

Sapper isn't an insult in any way shape or form (well, except to the gunners). A sapper is mearly a private in the RE. It all goes back to the when the REs were divided into the Royal Engineers (officers only) and the Royal Sappers and Miners (non-commissioned ranks only).

Regards

Tom

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Penny S.
Date: 26 May 99 - 11:35 AM

Thanks Tom - I was actually referring to another, can't remember it's name, thankfully, thread, in which there was a little heat generated, and part of it seemed to be due to a misunderstanding of the term. This was dissipated by an explanation of how it was used in the RE, but there remained in my mind a puzzle about an alternative.

Anyway, I only remember a little of my father's Engineers version, from WW2, when the make up of the group may have affected the way it was sung. It was certainly repeatable to daughters.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Ewan McVicar
Date: 26 May 99 - 12:30 PM

I sang my version (below, learned from my father but also sung in the Scouts - invented by Baden Powell) to Prince Mposi Mamba of the Swazi people, and asked if the first lines were in any way rude. He said, "No, it just says that a warrior should be brave".

I ziga zumba zumba zumba
I ziga zumba zumba zay

Hold im down, you Swazi warrior
Hold im down, you Zulu chief CHIEF CHIEF

For we're marching on to Laffamsmere
To Laffamsmere, to Laffamsmere
For we're marching on to Laffamsmere
Where they can't tell sugar from - tissue paper, tissue paper, marmalade or jam.

I saw a little boy sitting by the fire

I saw a little boy playing with his wire

[Plus I think the dinghy bit above - which I had forgot!]

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Susan of DT
Date: 26 May 99 - 07:43 PM

Tom et al - Isn't a "sapper" one who dug under the wall of a castle or fort? The name "Royal Sappers and Miners" would sem to substatiate this.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: AndyG
Date: 27 May 99 - 09:39 AM

A "sap" technically is part of an entrenchment. It's a short spur running off a trench. It may of may not have head cover. A sapper is the bloke with the spade who dug it. Mining is the act of digging a tunnel under a fortification in order to bring about its collapse. Hence "Sappers & Miners".

AndyG

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 27 May 99 - 10:47 AM

Joe, I can't believe that BP ever got inebriated!

The Ian Campbell band used to do a number called "Cho-cho-losa", which they learned parrot fashion from a Zulu dance group in the sixties. (Zulus wear wellies decorated with beer-bottle caps on string, and hard hats, and work down mines; or they did then.) "Zulu warrior" sounds like it's derived from a real original. Any native southern Africans out there care to comment? It'd make this thread a bit more pc!

Steve

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: MMario
Date: 27 May 99 - 11:04 AM

took me a while to contact the music person I learned this from at camp....from her notes when SHE learned it....[this is urban myth...no documentation ever seen]

"sung by defending whites to keep spirits up while under attack by Zulu tribesmen"

the words as she had them

"See him dance, the Zulu warrior.. "See him dance, the Zulu chief... then.. "hold him back, the Zulu warrior.... "Hold him back, the Zulu chief....

we learned the chorus phonetically - she didn't forward that part to me...

MMario

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Penny S.
Date: 27 May 99 - 05:13 PM

Is this anything to do with Isandlwana(?) and Rourke's Drift?

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST,Margi List
Date: 08 Mar 00 - 07:26 PM

I'm new to this, but it looks like you folks don't have words to "Zulu Warrier", and I do!

It's an old camp song, and it goes like this:

I come a-zimba, zimba, zaya(first a pronounced like long i), I come a-zimba, zimba, zee. I come a-zimba, zimba, zaya, I come a-zimba, zimba, zee.

Here he comes, the Zulu warrier. Here he comes, the Zulu chief (chief, chief, chief)

Terribly complicated! It's done as a round, with both parts going at the same time. When you get to the chief, chief, chief part, you can continue to sing that ad nauseum, while everybody does the words. I guess you can have three things going at the same time, come to think of it!

I don't have a piano here, but I think the tune is:

D,D,R,M,R,M,R,M,S. (I come a, etc.) D,D,R,M,D,R,R,D. (REPEAT)

D',L,S,M,F,R,M,S. (Here he comes, etc.) D',L,S,M,F,R,D.

D,D,D,D,D,D,D,ETC. (Chief, chief, etc.)

In case you have this already, disregard this message!

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Bud Savoie
Date: 08 Mar 00 - 07:54 PM

I don't know why he was so called, but in 'Nam a sapper was a VC who had the training, ability, and courage to snake through the concertina wire surrounding the post. He was, of course, armed with plastic explosives, and I don't believe he had a long life expectancy.

About this Zulu thing: this is the first I have heard about British origins. We used to sing it as kids, and I just supposed it was invented by kids in some schoolyard.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST,Jim I
Date: 08 Mar 00 - 08:24 PM

Showing my age a bit here.

Back in the 1960's the female members of the Royal Observer Corps used to sing this in the pub and on occasional coach trips. Their version (after the pseudo Zulu chanting) was

Pull them down my Zulu warrior Pull them down my Zulu Chief, Chief, Chief

Their gestures and actions made it quite obvious which item of male clothing they were singing about!

Subject: Girl Scout Songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Mar 00 - 08:34 PM

Hi, Margi - Welcome to the Mudcat Cafe! I'm often amazed how a visitor will come across a thread somebody started way back in our early days in 1997, and then bring the thread back to life and add new information. Can you tell us how you came across the thread? I'm guessing you found it while you were doing a Web search for "Zulu Warrior," and maybe the page you got didn't include the entire thread (which includes at least two complete sets of lyrics for versions of the song.

I used to think that Girl Scout songs were horribly obnoxious, since I heard them over and over from my younger sister, who brought them home from Girl Scout camp. Of course, the Boy Scout songs I learned and sang over and over were terribly cool. I guess I've softened in my old age. I broke down and bought $25 worth of Girl Scout songbooks Monday, and I have to say they're terrific - far better than the U.S. Boy Scout songbooks. Their Sangam Git / Sangam Songbook is a very nice collection of songs from various countries - and it includes lyrics for "Zulu Warrior" that are almost exactly the same as those that Good Old Rechal posted above, many long years ago.

-Joe Offer-
(Gee, I sometimes hope my sister never takes me up on my invitation to visit Mudcat - I've said some things about her here and there that could be used as serious ammunition....)

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 08 Mar 00 - 09:42 PM

Chanted while drinking down a yard of ale in some pubs in England the idea being to be finished before the chant or go again... Just my tuppence worth. Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: GMT
Date: 09 Mar 00 - 06:50 AM

I seem to remember a verse going something like (excuse the spelling phonetic atempt only)

Incumta sereena fooee
Incumta sereena foo
Incumta sereena fooee
Incumta sereena foo
Massa billy billy billy billy

Or do I have the wrong song altogether :)

Gary

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: bobby's girl
Date: 09 Mar 00 - 05:08 PM

We had a slight problem with this song at a birthday party when I was stationed at RAF Cosford in 1976. There were several visiting airmen on courses from all over the world who had come to the party, and when the Zulu Warrior chant began, aimed at the guy whose birthday it was, we had a heck of a job persuading one of our African friends not to go forward - but as he said, he was a Zulu warrior!

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Bugsy
Date: 09 Mar 00 - 05:48 PM

In the British Forces, at least until the early late 60's when I was demobbed. The song was sung as:

Haul 'em down you Zulu Warrior.

whilst an inebriated Squaddie/Matelot/Airman who stood on a table and stripped to the buff. Then all the assembled crown threw their beer over him. Kind of like "This Old Hat Of Mine".

Ah, those halcien days of service to Queen and Country.

CHeers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Penny S.
Date: 19 Jun 01 - 02:42 PM

Back again - I've been down to Rochester today, and the video presentation in the visitor centre included reference to Upnor Hard, where, I believe, training in making fast dinghy pontoons took place. Does anyone have the version which mentions Upnor?

Penny

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Jun 01 - 06:23 PM

(I believe the DT still needs the tune to this one, if so, MMario will be along shortly to confirm.........grin)

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Amos
Date: 19 Jun 01 - 08:51 PM

I believe that in the 17th century sappers were those who specialized iun digging under, and/or blowing up, enemy revetments, and were not the normal infantry business who marched around shooting at other bipeds from whom they had carefully distanced themselves psycho;ogically....

The Zulu Warrior was recorded by Josef Marais and Mirandas, the South African songsters, back in the Fifities, I think. I am sure the tune found lots of opportunities for variant words, being a basic four-four beat with a simple tune.

A

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST,D
Date: 26 Jan 07 - 04:17 PM

...Laffan's Plain, where they don't know sugar from tissue paper,marching orders, marmalade and(or?) jam.

There must be a whole generation of the sons & daughters of WW2 vets who were sung to sleep with such songs. It's strange to find this out in one's fifties. To me this song served as a slightly humorous lullaby, although we always knew it was part of Dad's army heritage.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jan 07 - 04:42 PM

I learned this, as a teacher, from a schools' broadcast in the 1970s. Probably 'Time and Tune', Thursdays I think. The first line was ttranscribed as 'Hikama zimba...'

Subject: Lyr Add: ZULU WARRIOR (from Marais and Miranda)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Jan 07 - 05:08 PM

Gee, this whole long thread and no Marais & Miranda lyrics.

THE ZULU WARRIOR
Marais and Miranda

March tempo
I-kama zimba zimba zayo
I-kama zimba zimba zee,
I-kama zimba zimba zayo,
I-kama zimba, zimba,
See him there, the Zulu warrior,
See him there, the Zulu chief, chief, chief
See him there, the Zulu warrior,
See him there, the Zulu chief, chief, chief, chief
I-kama zimba, I-kama zimba
Zikama zimba layo zee,...
Wah! chief, chief, chief, chief!
Wah!

Optional second voice:
I-kamazimba zimba zayo
I-kama zimba zimba zee
I-kama zimba zimba zayo
I-kama zimba zimba zee,
and etc.
With score. Marais and Miranda, Folk Song Jamboree, pp. 62-64, Ballantine Books pb.

Note- "AFRIKAANS ORIGIN. During the so-called Kafir War, the British soldiers sang "Hold him down the Swazi warrior." I substituted Zulu as being a more familiar name, and brighter "nonsense" words than I used to hear as a child. This is NOT a native chant, but rather an imitation of the type of chanting heard by the settlers. I would call it a pickniekliedjie, a picnic song. During World War II, American GI's sang it in conjunction with South African troops in North Africa." Marais.
Bert, way up above, seems to have some of the older words Marais is talking about.

Words and music by Josef Marais, copyright 1946 and 1952 by Dartmouth Music, Inc.

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Leadfingers
Date: 26 Jan 07 - 09:44 PM

The Make Fast The Dinghy bit has nothing to do with Zulu warrior , but is part of a different song , and sung to the tune of The CRE March (Thats Corps of Royal Engineers)

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Jan 07 - 10:08 PM

The Marais and Miranda score has chords. If anyone is interested, I will post them.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Fred Maslan
Date: 26 Jan 07 - 10:12 PM

As a kid I'm sure I misheard the words as

Ah-chicka zumba zumba zumba
Ah-chicka zumba zumba zay

Hold him down you zulu warrior
Hold him down you zulu chiefs

I also seem to recall a kind of call and response after "hold him down" but that might have been a reaction to hearing it sung as a round.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: sapper82
Date: 27 Jan 07 - 09:29 AM

Taken from "Hurrah for the CRE" the marching song of the Royal Engineers.

From memory:-
Good Morning Mr. Stevens, it's a windy notchy night,
Hurrah for the CRE,
We've been working very hard, down at Upnor Hard,
Hurrah for the CRE,
You make fast, we make fast,
Make fast the dingey,
Make fast the dingey,
Make fast the dingey,
You make fast, we make fast,
Make fast the dingey,
Make fast the dingey pontoon.
For we're marching on to Laffan's Plain,
to Laffan's Plain,
to Laffan's Plain,
For we're marching on to Laffan's Plain,
Where they don't know mud from clay.
AH, AHHH AHHH AH AH AH AH AH
oshta oshta oshta oshta,
Hey Lumdana, Picaninny scoff,
Man-ninga sabinza, here's another off
Oolumda cried Matabelle
Oolumda away we go
Ah,Ah.............
Shhhhhhhh
{Loud Cheer}

CRE; Chief Royal Engineer;
Upnor Hard; Bridging hard at Upnor, on the Medway near Chatham in Kent where Watermanship training was carried out.
Laffan's Plain; RE Training ground near Farnborough in Hampshire, now part of the Royal Aircraft Establishment.

Slightly different words and a portion of the tune are found here:-
Scroll down for "Hurrah for the CRE"

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Scrump
Date: 27 Jan 07 - 12:24 PM

My limited experience of this song/chant is something like:

Get 'em down, you Zulu warrior
Get 'em down, you Zulu chief, chief, chief, chief
Zumba, zumba, zumba, zay
(etc.)

and was sung in the rugby club bar after a game, with one of the players being coerced into removing his lower garments (don't ask, it's what rugby players do, or used to anyway, for relaxation) :-)

Is there a rugby player in the house who can confirm this? It's ages since I heard it or even went into a rugby club, so it may not be done any more. Anyone know?

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST,Dakota
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 10:38 AM

We sing this song regularly at Scout campfires, the "official" scout lyrics are:
I zicka zimba, zimba, zimba
I zicka zimba, zimba, hey
I zicka zimba, zimba, zimba
I zicka zimba, zimba, hey

Hold him down, you Zulu warrior!
Hold him down, you Zulu chief,
Chief chief chief...

from the South African Scout Association site (www.scouting.org.za)

Could somebody please post chords for it? Been looking for them for ages.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 03:52 PM

Chords by Josef Marais and Miranda, for their song, posted above.

THE ZULU WARRIOR
March tempo

(C)I-kamazimba (G7)zimba (C)zayo,
I kamazimba (G7)zimba (C)zee,
I kamazimba (G7)zimba (C)zayo,
I kamazimba (G7)zimba,
(C)See him there, (G7)the Zulu (C)warrior,
(F) See him (C)there,
(G7)the Zulu (C)chief, chief (F)chief.
See him (C)there, (G7)the Zulu (C)warrior,-
(F) See him (C)there, (G7)the Zulu (C)chief,
chief, (F)chief, chief.
I kamazimba, (F)I kamazimba,
(Shout!) Zikama layo zee, (C)Wah!

Hope sense can be made of that.

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST,dakota
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 05:18 AM

brilliant.
Thanks so much!

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: oggie
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 05:07 PM

At Uni the Rugby Club (and others) used Scrump's version as timing for a Boatrace. The team that needed fewest repititions won. As the evening wore on more verses tended to be required.

All the best

Steve

Subject: RE: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Aug 07 - 02:51 PM

I was thinking about this last night and Googled 'swazi warrior' - I wanted to check out what retrospectively seemed such a racially offensive lyric - especially when sung by white adolescent males in pseudo-military uniforms.

The other often heard contemporaneous lyric in this genre was:

Ging gang gooley gooley gooley gooley
watch-a
ging gang goo
ging gang goo
(REPEAT)

Hey-lah hey-la shey-la
hey-lah shey-lah shey-la Hey-ey

Steve
(REPEAT AND BACK TO VERSE)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST,jo
Date: 31 Aug 07 - 03:45 AM

I have to find a recording of this song,it is driving me nuts!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulu Warrior
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Aug 07 - 04:37 AM

Hi, Jo -
Can't find a recording, but here's a MIDI of the Josef Marais version (click) that Q posted above.
-Joe Offer-

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Zulu Warrior
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar
Date: 31 Aug 07 - 05:38 AM

Great to see this thread re-emerging, and to see I've already added my tuppence worth. See above that I consulted a Swazi storytyeller about it, I now suspect his response was more polite than knowledgable. I recall the Hurrah for the CRE part lyric above, but I do not think it was attached to my I Ziga Zumba version - which I hav taught to hundreds of Scots schoolkids now.

Ewan