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Abatiwaha...huh?

Convincing John

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Hey everyone,

I got a question for y'all.

I was watching the classic clip "Turn the World Around" the other day from the Harry Belafonte episode (one of my favorite songs from the whole series):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLqb64Pb9So

I wondered though, what does the word "abatiwaha" mean? It's sung several times near the end of the song. "Whoa ho, so is life abatiwaha, so is life."

The closest I got (with an online search) is a Swahili dictionary that couldn't find any matches.

Belafonte says that the song was inspired from a storyteller in Guinea, but (according to Wikipedia) other languages are spoken there. (Swahili's spoken way over in East Africa).

Anyone here have a clue how to translate this word? :search: (Sigh...where is C-3PO when you need him?)

Convincing John
 

GonzoLeaper

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abatiwaha- A Xulu word meaning, "The cows are dying".
lol:zany:
Not really. I don't have a clue. It may just be a made-up phrase by Harry Belafonte. But it's possible it could be an African language word though...Hmm:search:
 

HootsytheOwl

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Abatiwaha..hmm, interesting

Hi all...

I wonder if it means "so is life"....because sometimes that happens in a song....people will say a word/phrase in another language and then translate it or vice-versa. Example: The new version of "We Are The World" has a French Creole phrase that means "We are the world" in it.
Just a thought.:wink:

Your dear friend,
Kitt
 

Convincing John

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Hi all...

I wonder if it means "so is life"....because sometimes that happens in a song....people will say a word/phrase in another language and then translate it or vice-versa. Example: The new version of "We Are The World" has a French Creole phrase that means "We are the world" in it.
Just a thought.:wink:

Your dear friend,
Kitt
I wondered that, too. Let's see, if it is "so is life" in another language, Guinea has a bunch of mother languages (according to Wikipedia, anyway). Which language would it be?

I thought briefly that it was just a nonsense word that Harry made up, kinda like a scat word. But everything in the song really means a lot to him. It's such a deep and meaningful piece. Something tells me that "abatiwah" is something much more complex than something like "Pachalafaka" or "Mahna Mahna" which have no meanings, but are great songs.

I wonder if I wrote to Harry, he'd respond. Some celebrities do, some don't.

Convincing John
 

Super Scooter

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This might not be accurate, but according to Google translate, "So is life" becomes "hivyo ni uzima" in Swahili. But the Swedish Chef would say, "så är livet." :wink:
 

abraxascarab

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I got a question for y'all.
...
I wondered though, what does the word "abatiwaha" mean?
I realize you asked this three years ago... however... since there was no answer, I thought I resurrect the thread with an answer.

I love the song as well... and I was able to dig this up:

"a bati wa ha" meaning in Swahili:
a = of (denoting possessive)
bahati = Fortunate (slurred pronunciation: bah-ati or "bati")
wa = Existence (to be, become)
ha = prefix denoting negative tense
(therefore probably just a punctuated sound in the song with no meaning)

Final translation: "Of fortunate existence. Ha!"
or loosely: "Our lucky life. Ha!"
or even more loosely: "so is life. Ha!"
I hope future people who search for the meaning of this phrase find this explanation helpful. :smile:
 

Mo Frackle

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Whatever it means, it's still a cute little Afro-Norwegian number.
 

Fozzie Bear

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I wondered though, what does the word "abatiwaha" mean? It's sung several times near the end of the song. "Whoa ho, so is life abatiwaha, so is life."
Online, I found "of fortunate existence."

What does abatiwaha mean?
I looked everywhere for the meaning of Abatiwaha, and this is the closest I came: "a bati wa ha" meaning in Swahili: a = of (denoting possessive) bahati = Fortunate (slurred pronunciation: bah-ati or "bati") wa = Existence (to be, become)
May 3, 2020
 

Revjmiller

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This might not be accurate, but according to Google translate, "So is life" becomes "hivyo ni uzima" in Swahili. But the Swedish Chef would say, "så är livet." :wink:
The word is a Jamaican slang term -- I won't repeat the meaning here. Don't use it! Belafonte heard it as a child and thought it was an expression of joy. It is not.
 
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