It came from two Indian chants that I put music to. I just put them together and made a song out of them. Lloyd Price just added music to it and it became a hit. I was just trying to write a catchy song. The origins of the phrase itself have been embroiled in controversy for decades.
Linguists and anthropologists, natives of the area, and professors have speculated on the origins and meaning of the words. Some say the phrase was of Cajun or Acadian dialect. Many Cajuns have been and continue to be famous for their colorful dialect and accent, such as contemporary New Orleans blues piano master Lee Pons , so the idea of the phrase being of Cajun dialect makes sense. Others, like Dr. Evershed Amuzu, who was interviewed in an excellent Offbeat article on the song , say that the phrase is almost strictly of African descent.
In a discussion with Offbeat, he picked up the lyrics sheet and, for the most part, accurately sang the melody of the song based on what he knew of African language — a song he had never heard before, but recognized the unique phrasing and was able to guess the melody based on his knowledge of African dialects.
The African-descent of the phrase is also a plausible theory. Many Africans who had been kidnapped were sold through New Orleans — a major port.
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Or, if you are already a subscriber Sign in. Other options. Close drawer menu Financial Times International Edition. There are as many guesses about the meaning of this song as there are versions of it: Jock-a-mo means "brother John," or "jokester," or "Giacomo;" Jock-a-mo fin a ney means "kiss my ass," or "John is dead"; Iko means "I go," or "pay attention," or "gold," or "hiking around"; the words come from French, or Yoruba, or Italian Reporter Drew Hinshaw decided to ask some experts about the origin of the song after he noticed the similarity between the Iko refrain and a stirring call-and-response chant he heard at a parade in Ghana: "Iko Iko!
Back in the US, a professor of Creole Studies thought it came from a mixture of Yoruba and French Creole, and proposed the following breakdown:. Code Language! Aiku, Aiku nde. God is watching. Jacouman Fi na Jacouman causes it ida-n-de We will be emancipated.
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