Kum-A-Kye

"Kum-A-Kye" or "The Kum A Kye Song" is a Rhodesian song and military march, written in 1939 by Sergeant Max Sparks, that was adopted as the regimental march of the Rhodesian British South Africa Police (BSAP).

The chorus of "Kum-A-Kye" is based upon the American "The Chisholm Trail" campfire song during the Chisholm Trail which was brought to Southern Rhodesia in the 1890s when two cowboys on the Chisolm Trail joined the British South Africa Police. In 1939, the BSAP asked Sergeant Max Sparks to create a military band for them. Sparks did so by bringing together a number of policemen as musicians and wrote the music to "Kum-A-Kye" for the police band to play as a march. In preparation for King George VII's royal tour of Southern Africa in 1947, "Kum-A-Kye" was formally adopted as the regimental march of the British South Africa Police. It was predominately played as a marching tune only with the lyrics often not being known by the policemen in the force. In 1955 during Southern Rhodesia's time as part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the BSAP released an LP album of regimental music entitled "Kum-A-Kye" after their regimental march. In 1980, the BSAP was disbanded and replaced by the Zimbabwe Republic Police following Rhodesia's reconstitution as Zimbabwe.

In 2011, Northern Rhodesian born John Edmond released "Kum-A-Kye" as part of his "All Time Rhodesian Evergreens" album. The lyrics that he set to the tune are based upon the "Polly Wolly Doodle" American folk song.

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