"Tom Hark" is an instrumental South African kwela song from the 1950s, believed to have been composed by Jack Lerole. The song was arranged for penny whistle and first recorded by Elias and His Zig-Zag Jive Flutes—a South African band formed by pennywhistlers Jack and his brother Elias Lerole—and released in 1956. It was later released in the UK after it was used as a theme on a TV series, and it reached number 2 on the UK chart in 1958. Recordings artists of various genres have covered the song, and some of them added original lyrics. A version by the Piranhas became a hit in 1980 in the UK, and it has been adapted into football chants. Elias and His Zig-Zag Jive Flutes recording The song was composed by Jack Lerole around 1954, although other people also claimed to have written the song. Jack and Elias Lerole and their band were performing on the street of Johannesburg when EMI South Africa record producer Rupert Bopape (1925–2012) came across them, and offered them a recording contract. They recorded the song in 1956 with their band Elias and His Zig-Zag Jive Flutes on pennywhistles, with a satirical spoken introduction. The song, however, is credited to Bopape; the right to the song is said to have been sold to Bopape by Lerole for 11 guineas, with the other members of the band paid $10 (6 guineas) each for their work. This version was released in 1956. The title, "Tom Hark", is thought to be either a misspelling or deliberate wordplay on "Tomahawk", the original title of the song. Tomahawk was carried by street children such as Jack and Elias Lerole for protection. The tune was used as theme music for a British TV series in 1958 about diamond smuggling in South Africa, The Killing Stones. It was then released as a single in the UK, and it entered the UK Singles Chart at number 30 on 25 April 1958; on 24 May it reached number 2, and held that position for four weeks. In all, the song was in the UK charts for about 14 weeks. Elias and His Zig-Zag Jive Flutes was later renamed Alexandra Black Mambazo and they recorded a vocal version of the song.. Early covers In the UK, Ted Heath and His Music released a cover of the song soon after release of the original in 1958. In