Song Clearance Sheet
4 sources citedSatta Massagana
Reggae1960s76BPM
E minKey
More around 80 BPM → · More in E minor →
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The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriters of record (Bernard Collins & the Manning brothers), no formal dispute found — a roots-reggae cornerstone whose master the group amicably bought back. A famous mis-translation is documented honestly in the Receipts.
Quick Facts
Released1969
AlbumSatta Massagana
GenreReggae, Roots Reggae
LabelClinch / Heartbeat Records
ProducerThe Abyssinians
Recorded atStudio One, Kingston
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Bernard Collins & the Manning brothers
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Studio One / Heartbeat; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Enormously — widely credited with helping create the roots-reggae blueprint; its riddim became one of the most reused rhythms in reggae history, and the song was adopted by some Rastafarian groups as a hymn.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriters of record and no formal dispute.
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Bernard Collins, Donald Manning & Linford Manning
The group bought back its own masterThe Abyssinians had to independently buy back their own master tape from Dodd years later, self-releasing it (multiple early pressings c. 1971–72) to significant sales and acclaim — eventually the title track of their landmark 1976 debut. An apparently amicable business transaction, not an adversarial dispute.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
An honest linguistic admission
Founding member Donald Manning has admitted that, despite the group’s longstanding understanding, the song’s famous Amharic phrase doesn’t actually mean “thank you” as commonly believed — the correct expression of gratitude to God in Amharic would be different. As one writer put it, “this mistake doesn’t ruin the song; on the contrary, it makes it even more moving.” No lyrics reproduced.
Dub-Stuy · read it →
How they learned Amharic
Donald Manning has recalled learning Amharic from his brother Neville, who taught informal language classes in the Jonestown area of Kingston using books obtained from Ethiopia via England.
The Freight · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
A roots-reggae cornerstone; a much-versioned riddim
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
SM
The Abyssinians (Heartbeat)
The confirmed songwriters of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 16)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass