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Qongqothwane is a traditional song of theXhosa people ofSouth Africa. It is sung atweddings to bring good fortune. In thewestern world it is mainly known asThe Click Song. The Xhosa title literally means "knock-knock beetle", which is a popular name for various species ofdarkling beetles that make a distinctive knocking sound by tapping their abdomens on the ground. These beetles are believed by the Xhosa to bring good luck andrain.
The song is known world-wide thanks to the interpretation of South African singerMiriam Makeba (herself a Xhosa). In her discography the song appears in several versions, both with the titleQongqothwane and asThe Click Song. The song was written and originally performed byThe Manhattan Brothers who made it famous across Africa. Miriam was discovered by them and sang with them throughout the 1940s.
More information on the song can be found in Makeba's bookThe World of African Song (Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1971), including the following translation: "The doctor of the road is the beetle / He climbed past this way / They say it is the beetle / Oh! It is the beetle."
She explains the song as a traditional folk song which refers to the knocking beetle which makes clicking sounds and can revolve the top part of its body in any direction. The beetle is used in children's games to point the way home, but also has a deeper symbolism, pointing the way to a better future in times of trouble. In her biography (p.86), she mentions singing it in The Village Vanguard Club in New York, and calls it a "Xhosa song about a dreamy bride".