This chant melody was brought to America from West Africa and is meant to be sung as a meditation. Pedal notes should sound like a drone that supports the melody. It all leads to an experience for the singers and listeners that is fully grounded in its origins and ethnic roots.
The text is:
Yemaya Assessu
Assessu yemaya
Yemaya olodo
Olodo yemaya.
In English, it means:
A celebration of the moment when the river meets the ocean.
Yemaya is the goddess of the ocean and the mother of all goddesses.