Psalm 137 is one of the best known of the
Biblical psalms. Its opening lines, "By the rivers of Babylon..." (
Septuagint: "By the waters of Babylon...") have been set to music on several occasions.
Our Version of this Traditional Folk Song
By the waters, the waters of Babylon,
We sat down and wept, and wept for Zion.
We remember you, we remember you, we remember you, Zion.
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The psalm is a hymn expressing the yearnings of the
Jewish people in exile following the Babylonian conquest of
Jerusalem in 607 BC.In its whole form, the psalm reflects the yearning for Jerusalem. Rabbinical sources attributed the poem to the prophet
Jeremiah,[2] and the Septuagint version of the psalm bears the
superscription: "For David. By Jeremias, in the Captivity."[3] -Wikipedia
Psalm 137 King James Version (KJV)
137 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.