Kum ba yah (optional sing-along) - Improvised by pianist Charles Manning

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In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

"Kum ba yah" ("Come by here") is a traditional African-American spiritual. The song was originally sung by enslaved West Africans of the Gullah culture, found in the US coastal islands off South Carolina and Georgia. The song is thought to have spread from these islands to other southern states, then to the north, and eventually around the world. In 1926, folklorist Robert Winslow Gordon made the first known recording with singer H. Wylie, who sang in the Gullah dialect. “Kum ba yah” later became a standard campfire song in scouting and summer youth camps. It attained a much broader popularity during the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s. During this period, the spiritual became known as an anthem of hope.

“Kum ba yah” was originally an appeal to God to come and help those in need. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., pianist Charles Manning improvises the famous spiritual. To sing along, the text for “Kum ba yah” is printed below.

~ Introduction ~

~ Text ~

Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah,
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah,
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah,
O Lord, kum ba yah.

Someone's singing, Lord, kum ba yah,
Someone's singing, Lord, kum ba yah,
Someone's singing, Lord, kum ba yah,
O Lord, kum ba yah.

Someone's crying, Lord, kum ba yah,
Someone's crying, Lord, kum ba yah,
Someone's crying, Lord, kum ba yah,
O Lord, kum ba yah.

Someone's praying, Lord, kum ba yah,
Someone's praying, Lord, kum ba yah,
Someone's praying, Lord, kum ba yah,
O Lord, kum ba yah…
O Lord, kum ba yah.