TILOTD - Kumbaya

Things I Learned On This Day - The old folk song, Kumbaya was actually a black spiritual song that originated in the coastal regions of southeast United States sometime before 1926. According to Wikipedia, the song was originally sung by enslaved blacks in an appeal to God to come to the aid of those in need. The title, Kumbaya is thought to be a translation of "Come by here" in the creole Gullah language. While the song began as a spiritual, it later took on new meanings. During the folk revival of the 1950's and 1960's, Kumbaya became a popular campfire song and eventually became a protest song in support of civil rights and other causes. Ironically, during the 1980's, the song began to take on the meaning of being too  unrealistic and touchy-feely. According to an article by Mental Floss, "the backlash against “Kumbaya” may have started because it had become a staple at children’s summer camps, which sometimes led to it being thought of as saccharine and silly." So now "Kumbaya" is synonymous with naïvety as in the cynical phrase kumbaya moment. From a a spiritual, to a campfire song, to a protest anthem, to a derisive phrase, “Kumbaya” is a song with a complicated history.