Zulu Warrior

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Zulu Warrior is a folk song sung as a round. It was composed by Josef Marais, a South African folk singer who emigrated to the United States. The duo Marais and Miranda performed it in the 1948 movie Rope of Sand.^[1]

There are many variations on the lyrics, similar to the following:

I zicka zimba, zimba, zimba

I zicka zimba, zimba, zay

I zicka zimba, zimba, zimba

I zicka zimba, zimba, zay

Hold him down, you Zulu warrior

Hold him down, you Zulu chief, chief, chief

Sometimes the lyrics start "I kamma zimba" and refer to a Swazi warrior. The lyrics appear to be nonsense rather than in the Zulu language.

[edit] Rugby tradition

The song has also become a raucous drinking song and is sometimes part of a rugby tradition when a player scores his first try. The player may have to run round the field or goalposts or run the gauntlet, sometimes naked, and earns the title "Zulu Warrior".^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References