Post written by Nicole LeBlanc 05/23/11. For more from Nicole LeBlanc go to www.nicochic.com.

Tomorrow is Bob Dylan's birthday.

I guess the natural thing to do is listen to a classic Dylan song, but I thought I'd do something I think he would appreciate a little more...you know, cause I know he reads my blog.

I'm going to share a little music history that he himself passed on to me one day riding in my van, listening to MY birthday gift, my satellite radio.

Last year for her dance recital, Emmylou danced to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Had I known this next little history tidbit, I think I would have listened to it a little differently....

The original name of this song was Mbube, which is Zulu for ''lion''.

It was written by a Zulu tribesman. Soloman Linda.

It was him who put together a group, The Evening Birds, who eventually became popular in small Johannesburg bars that many black laborers frequented. Soloman Linda and his song quickly become famous amongst his people.

Soloman Linda could not read or write, let alone read or write music.

Meanwhile, a banjo player in Greenwich Village, Pete Seeger (who's grandson, Tao, actually played at the Blue Moon a few weeks ago), heard Linda's recording and liked it. Having a little difficulty transcribing the words, the chant ''uyimbube'' became ''wimoweh'' and the name of the song. Seeger then taught it to his band, The Weavers and Wimoweh quickly became a hit.

Not long after, Jay Seigel, a singer from Brooklyn who fronted the band The Tokens, got a hold of The Weaver' recordings and taught it to his band. The Tokens’ producers hired famous songwriter, George David Weiss, to rework the song.

It's Weiss who gave the song the name The Lion Sleeps Tonight and its infamous line, ''In the jungle, the mighty jungle.''

George David Weiss copyrighted the song and The Lion Sleeps Tonight soon became a chart topping, international hit.

Solomon Linda received a measly 10 shillings for the rights to his song...equivalent to approximately 70 cents in today's US currency.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight has been recorded by dozens of groups and has produced an estimated 15 million in royalties....mostly paid to George David Weiss.

Soloman Linda died of renal failure in 1962.....a poor man.

Long story short, the songs we listen to and sing along to sometimes carry with them stories far deeper than the words we hear.

Below is a recording of Soloman Linda's Mbube.

It gives me goose bumps.