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View Full Version : What do they sing at the beginning of "Circle of Life"?



jakeofwildwood
10-23-2006, 05:21 PM
I am listening to Disney's Greatest Hits volume 1. It just occured to me I have no idea what they sing at the beginning of the song, what language is it? If I knew the language I could use babelfish to try and translate some of it.

So, anyone know what the song translates into?

DizneyRox
10-23-2006, 06:25 PM
Sinple Google Search on "Circle of Life" Lyrics reveals...


Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba [Here comes a lion, Father]
Sithi uhm ingonyama [Oh yes, it's a lion]

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhhmm ingonyama
Ingonyama

Siyo Nqoba [We're going to conquer]
Ingonyama
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala [A lion and a leopard come to this open place]

[Chant repeats]

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

GenieOfPA
10-23-2006, 06:40 PM
hmm, pretty interesting... good post! :thumbsup: thanx for the answer DizneyRox!

MaryBelle
10-23-2006, 10:18 PM
For some reason, I recall being told that it was Swahili. I could be wrong though.

DizneyRox
10-24-2006, 07:20 AM
For some reason, I recall being told that it was Swahili. I could be wrong though.

Another search says it is actually Zulu.

JanetMegan
10-24-2006, 08:22 AM
What do you know? And Here I always thought it was...

La la la la bring me my pajamas...;)

Disneydol
10-24-2006, 11:04 AM
What do you know? And Here I always thought it was...

La la la la bring me my pajamas...;)

:tiphat: :notworth:
You, Ma'am, have made my day a little brighter through laughter!
That was stinkin' HILARIOUS!

d_m_n_n
10-24-2006, 01:16 PM
What do you know? And Here I always thought it was...

La la la la bring me my pajamas...;)

Our family always sings "Oh, potato. Won't you give me some more. Give me more, give me more potatoes." Guess I need to teach the boys some Zulu. Although I think our lyrics are a lot snappier! :D

tyandskyesmom
10-24-2006, 03:25 PM
The kids usually sing "joopy japy joopy joopy japy"...

30 more days!

Ian
10-24-2006, 06:36 PM
It always sounded like, "Hingmanjana hingmamannajaja" to me.

Of course, that absurd because that's gibberish, which I knew, but I was never motivated enough to figure out what it actually was.

Ian
10-24-2006, 06:37 PM
Our family always sings "Oh, potato. Won't you give me some more. Give me more, give me more potatoes." Guess I need to teach the boys some Zulu. Although I think our lyrics are a lot snappier! :D

This may be the single funniest post I've ever read.

Davyjones
10-25-2006, 03:45 PM
When I worked at Disney, all the cast memebers used to sing:

"Pink Pajamas, Wearing Pink Pajamas
Pink Pajamas, Wearing Pink Pajamas"

And it continued for QUITE a long time, but I won't go into that here. :)

Alligirl
10-25-2006, 04:15 PM
LOL Ok so it's not just us!! My girls used to always sing
"Pink Pajamas, penquins on the bottom,
Pink pajamas, penquins on the bottom!"

JanetMegan
10-26-2006, 08:41 AM
Man this is the best thread ever!

BrerSchultzy
10-26-2006, 08:50 AM
Hmmm...I always thought they were singing about the wild plains of my former home state....

"PEEENNNNNSYLVANIA baba needs me a Wa-Wa"

and of course,

"Hey, manana, penguins do lambada"

Cinderelley
12-09-2006, 02:58 PM
I was thinking of this thread the other night at work and had to go find it again. I'm still cracking up laughing.

DisneyDog
12-19-2006, 11:05 AM
I always thought it was "Transylvania. Pennsylvania. Konichi Wawa. Wa Wa ah Wa"

Cinderelley
04-26-2007, 12:32 AM
Thanks to Natazu, I had to go find this thread again. Now I'll never get it out of my head! Hee-hee-hee.:funny:

DizNee143
04-26-2007, 10:50 AM
this is my first time reading this thread..and OMG..im sooo glad i did...its soo funny..and i absolutely love BrerSchultzy translation of the song!!! lol...:mickey:

Ian
04-26-2007, 10:58 AM
"Hey, manana, penguins do lambada"It's been a long time since I've said this (used to be big around here ... )

You owe me a monitor cleaning. I spit my coffee out when I read this, I was laughing so hard!!!

Scar
04-26-2007, 02:25 PM
OK, if you listen real close, they are definetly singing:

"Hey now mama, bring me 'nother bottle"

Cinderelley
09-16-2008, 05:56 PM
Feeling a little down in the dumps today, so I had to resurrect my favorite thread. Everyone put on your pink pajamas and sing with me

"Oh potato. Won't you give me some more.
Hey, manana, penguins do lambada."

buzznwoodysmom
09-16-2008, 06:41 PM
This is the first times I see this thread. I must say I'll have to search for it everytime I need a good laugh. I don't remember the last time I've laughed so much reading posts.

LauraleeH
09-16-2008, 07:10 PM
My friend Beckie told me that they would sing it at camp all the time, but they said, "Pink pajamas, penguin and a llama" and now I can't listen to the song without singing it...literally! It's awful but that's what I will sing for the rest of my life, whether I want to or not.

badkitty
09-16-2008, 10:52 PM
I just read this thread for the first time and fell off my chair! :rotfl:

You are all so very clever. Thank you for making my day!

Cinderelley
02-26-2011, 12:30 AM
This has to be my favorite thread from the whole time I have been on Intercot. While I was bored to death in the hospital today, I kept thinking of this thread. Now I am watching Lion King and resurrecting this thread.

"Pink Pajamas Penguins do Lambada. Pink Pajmas Penguins do Lambada."

Dixie Springs
05-07-2011, 05:43 PM
Great thread! From the original question, to the non-Zulu guesses. Very funny.

Cinderelley
01-19-2012, 11:52 PM
"Hey, manana, penguins do lambada"

The teens were singing this at my house last night. :laughing:

ColleenMcD
01-20-2012, 08:08 AM
Seriously funny thread...

I don't have any cute translations to add.... but I recommend the Lion King on Broadway soundtrack...all your favorites from the movie and a couple more added in...with lots of Zulu thrown in for even more translation fun!

My oldest daughter (6 almost 7) has been listening to it non stop for over a year now as her "bed time music" I swear she speaks Zulu in her sleep!!

Melanie
01-20-2012, 08:13 AM
I love this thread has been given new life! :thumbsup:

Cinderelley
01-21-2012, 12:52 AM
lol I was still singing "Oh potatoes. Won't you give me some more!" while driving today.

Cinderelley
07-30-2013, 01:20 PM
It is funny how one little thread can make such a big impact on someone. While I was recuperating from surgery and having a few down in the dumps days, my son's girlfriend came up and started singing

"Hey, manana, penguins do lambada."

We all started laughing. Now that life is back on track, I had to come and find this thread - once again. lol

PirateLover
07-31-2013, 10:11 AM
This thread always give me a laugh. Glad you are feeling better. :thumbsup:

Cinderelley
10-08-2014, 10:37 PM
Ok, it is time for my annual resurrection of this post. I don't really plan it to be annual, but looking back over my last few posts, that seems to be what it is. lol I was listening to Circle of Life just now and distinctly heard "pink pajamas, penguins do lambada". It still makes me laugh.

vilewmn
10-09-2014, 06:35 PM
Cinderelley, Thank you!!!!! You have performed a great service! Haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

ransam
10-12-2014, 05:43 AM
I never thought to ask this question but it's a good one. Thanks for the info,

Cinderelley
10-17-2014, 04:07 AM
Cinderelley, Thank you!!!!! You have performed a great service! Haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

Just wait. Some day in the future, you will be sitting around doing something completely unrelated and you will start singing these versions.

tinkx2
10-20-2014, 03:01 PM
When my DD was 3 like most kids she would make up words to song. I don't know if she thought that is what they said or if she just made them up. But at the beginning of the Lion King song she would say: "Iiiiiii yo windo I go drinkin with the Bob". we still to this day laugh at her for that one.

Cinderelley
10-21-2014, 02:29 AM
When my DD was 3 like most kids she would make up words to song. I don't know if she thought that is what they said or if she just made them up. But at the beginning of the Lion King song she would say: "Iiiiiii yo windo I go drinkin with the Bob". we still to this day laugh at her for that one.

Lol. I can totally hear those words when I sing it in my head.

Cinderelley
04-18-2017, 05:56 PM
One of my son's friends posted a video of two lionesses taking down a wildebeast on Facebook. I replied with "It's the Circle of Life". My son and his friends kept replying with lines from this thread. lol I had to come back and revive it again.

Cinderelley
08-19-2019, 11:52 PM
With the new Lion King movie being released, I have been thinking about this thread again. I think I will still remember it when I am 90 and in a nursing home with dementia.

Cinderelley
11-21-2021, 04:04 AM
Well, it's been two years, but I was just telling a coworker about this thread. It still makes me laugh.

Cinderelley
03-12-2023, 12:05 AM
I had to go find my favorite thread of all time again. :)