Finish the lyric from The Tokens' 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight': 'In the jungle, the mighty jungle...'

The lyric from The Tokens' “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” continues with “the lion sleeps tonight.”

The 1961 hit was adapted from “Mbube,” a 1939 song recorded by South African singer Solomon Linda with the Evening Birds. “Mbube” means “lion” in Zulu, and the original recording became influential in African popular music.

The Tokens' English-language version added new lyrics and a polished pop arrangement. Its prominent vocal refrain helped the song become an international hit and gave it the title by which most English-speaking listeners know it.

The recording is often associated with its distinctive high vocal opening, but that part is not the song's title phrase. Another common mix-up is treating “Wimoweh” as the original title; that expression came from a mishearing of the earlier song's repeated Zulu refrain. The song later appeared in films, television, advertising, and stage productions, including Disney's The Lion King.