In the original Rastafarian context, "Babylon" represents any oppressive or unjust governmental system.

It was originally a Rastafari anthem recorded by the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970.

The most prominent feature of the song "Rivers of Babylon" is its lyrics, which are . The song specifically fuses two different scriptures from the Old Testament:

The song features prominently in the 1972 cult classic film The Harder They Come , which helped introduce reggae music to a global audience.

The opening lines about sitting by the rivers and weeping for Zion come from this psalm, which describes the Jewish people's yearning during their Babylonian exile.

💡 The "rivers" mentioned in the title (and the Bible) refer to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now present-day Iraq.

The section beginning with "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart" is taken from the end of this psalm. Key Historical & Musical Features

While the reggae version is the original, the 1978 disco cover by Boney M. became a massive international hit and is one of the best-selling singles of all time in the UK.