Definitions for similau
sim·i·lau

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https://www.definitions.net/definition/similau

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  Forrest Milder

  I think it is pretty likely that Similau is a corruption of ”Simbi Loa" which is a serpent spirit of Haitian voodoo. And the "I" is probably "Aye", making the refrain "Yes, it's the serpent voodoo spirit."
  
  Here are the lyrics, as reported several places on the Internet, but wherever it says "I Similau," I would substitute "Yes it's the serpent voodoo spirt".
  
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  Spirit in the wood beat the hollow cane
  Spirit in the wood take away the pain
  Make the body ripe and alive again
  I Similau (I Similau, I Similau)
  
  Spirit in the heart make the blood flow fast
  Spirit in the heart make the beauty last
  Keep the hope alive when the youth go past
  I Similau (I Similau, I Similau)
  
  When my lover comes upon the scene
  Drop a petal from the tree
  Fling the mountain up into the sky
  Fill the river with the sea
  
  Spirit in the wood let the hollow cane
  Echo in the afterglow
  Waiting for the flame to burn again
  I Similau (I Similau I Similau) more »

  LikeReply 126 years ago
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    Bob Malakoff

    I agree that it is a corruption of Simbi Loa. Alden Clar the writer of the song thought it was a fertility god. To quote his son on the internet "Dad did say that Similau was about the Voodoo god of fertility. We had a discussion once on how in his day you had to disguise the meaning of lyrics that referred to sex or love making and that today (early 70's) you could come right out and say it. We were discussing Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia" and the lyric "making love in the afternoon, with Cecilia, up in my bedroom".
    I disagree about the I part. I think it is an interjection and should be Ay Similo which is Spanish for "Oh Similo", a call to the spirit. The original lyrics were in Spanish then translated to English.
    Anyway, it is a great song. I have over 25 versions downloaded from YouTube. more »

    LikeReply 26 years ago
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  Robert Chinnis

  Similau is a legendary name of a ghost (or spirit) that lives in the sugar cane fields.

  LikeReply 46 years ago
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    Raymond Reddington

    Thanks for the info. Could you provide some kind of context reference though? Would like to know more about it. Cheers.

    LikeReply6 years ago
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  Adrian Sabb

  It seems to make since for the translation to mean character. Clearly the song is saying isimilo referring to how the woods makes the feel when they are there

  LikeReply6 years ago
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  Bruce Ueno

  Amazing that this song has been covered by numerous singers, but no one agrees on what the song means. If the title is Basque, the "hollow cane" that is beaten may refer to the txalaparta, a primative percussion instrument made of wooden planks. The planks are solid, but produce a hollow sound. The "spirit of the woods" may refer to the mythical basajaun, which in the Basque language means "lord of the forest". The tribal nature of the Similau, however does not resemble Basque music at all, and appears to hint at a subsaharan African origin. In Zulu, "isimilo" translates to "(moral) character" and alternatively "isimilau" translates to "the flag". The "hollow cane" may be the African clave, used in both African and Afro-Carribean cultures. Then again, perhaps the composers simply made up the title because it sounded exotic..... Confused? me too! more »

  LikeReply 136 years ago