The lyrics in “The Circle of Life” bring even more to the song as a whole than you may have ever realized. The lyrics were done by Tim Rice, a British author and lyricist. Rice, who is known for his work on Jesus Christ Superstar and The Wizard of Oz, is also no rookie to working with Disney. He did work on both Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. One of the most amazing things about this song is the fact that it is sung in both Zulu and English. The beginning and the background vocals were done in Zulu and the verses and chorus in English. I was surprised to find that the opening, which is in Zulu, actually means this:
“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]
I found this interesting because it really speaks about what the entire movie is about to be about! The chorus is very well written. Its lyrics are this:
“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”
These lyrics tell us a story about life getting hard, but finding your place and hope in the knowledge that life continues regardless of your circumstances. This is a great message and just another small reason that this is one of the greatest openings in all of film!
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