The opening lines about sitting by the rivers and weeping for Zion come from this psalm, which describes the Jewish people's yearning during their Babylonian exile.
The song features prominently in the 1972 cult classic film The Harder They Come , which helped introduce reggae music to a global audience. Rivers Of Babylon
While the reggae version is the original, the 1978 disco cover by Boney M. became a massive international hit and is one of the best-selling singles of all time in the UK. The opening lines about sitting by the rivers