Written and first recorded by The Melodians (JAM #1 1970).
Other hit version by Boney M. (US #30/UK #1/CAN #9/AUS #1/IRE #1/GER #1 1978).
From the wiki: “The Melodians’ original version of the song appeared in the soundtrack album of the 1972 movie The Harder They Come, making it internationally known. The lyrics are adapted from the texts of psalm 137 and psalm 19 in the Bible: ‘By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion… ‘