The Disney movie The Lion King was released in 1994, and it had a soundtrack full of bangers. Produced by Hans Zimmer with assists from Elton John, there are so many songs that remain classics—including “Circle of Life.” The song begins with the iconic Zulu chant by singer and composer Lebo M at the start of the Disney film, as the sun rises and baby Simba is lifted into the sky by Rafiki: “Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama“ And more than 30 years later, people are finally learning what it translates to. On the One54 Africa podcast, Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi shared with hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila and Godfrey Daneschmah (and the rest of the world) the meaning of the Disney tune’s chant—and it’s hilariously underwhelming. “I’ve seen The Lion King 100 times,” Gbajabiamila says, before giving his own soulful rendition of the chant. “What did I say?” Jonasi tells him he said “nothing,” adding that it’s Zulu, a language from South Africa, and that it translates to: “Look! There is a lion. Oh my God.” The three burst into guttural laughter. Gbajabiamila and Daneschmah react in disbelief, saying, “You are joking! That is not what that means!” Jonasi assures him that’s exactly what it means, and they can’t contain their laughter. “This whole time I thought it was like this beautiful, majestic [thing],” Gbajabiamila howls. People react to Zulu chant meaning On Reddit, people did not hold back their shock and hilarious disappointment about the song’s iconic opening: “And here I thought it was some majestic phrase about life .” “It does. It does mean that. I found this out and had the same reaction. I f**king howled. ‘Oh look, here comes a lion, father a lion’ or something was how I was told it was. I was amused and somehow disappointed. But like… it’s accurate.“ “I mean it works in the song too since all the animals look at the lions at this part.” “You know what… I’m okay with this.” “See? This simpleton answer actually fits. Try and think about the sheer amount of people who’ve run around shouting this phrase in public looking like idiots (myself included), and then match their idiocy with the simplicity of this answer!!!” “Okay so quite mundane and hilariously so.” How “The Circle of Life” was made The film’s composer, Hans Zimmer, “tapped Lebo M, a then-exiled South African composer living in the U.S., to help with the music,” according to Rotten Tomatoes. Zimmer and Lebo M “riffed” together to come up with the film’s opener, along with Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, but struggled to nail down an idea until inspiration came to Lebo. “Then, suddenly, Lebo cried out ‘Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba,’ and all present agreed—instantly—that the chant would open the film,” the publication noted. “Circle of Life” was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 1995 Academy Awards but lost to another of the film’s iconic songs, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” The post People are shocked to learn the real meaning behind The Lion King’s ‘Circle of Life’ song appeared first on Upworthy.