Originally published at: D2. “Ahe Lau Makani” Chords & Lyrics. Replies here will cross-post to the original lesson page.
Post your questions and comments here. If you want a hand with pronunciation, post a voice memo or video of yourself saying or singing a phrase and I’ll help guide you.
Hi Brad, thank you very much for this beautiful Mele and your super structured course. I have a question about the lyrics. I found different phrases in the first and second verses in the song examples you suggested.
Verse 1:
I lawe mai i kuʻu nui kino
Hoʻopumehana i kuʻu poli
Your Sheet:
I lawe mai a kuʻu nui kino
Hoʻopumehana i ko aloha
and
Verse 2
I lawe mai i kuʻu poli
Hoʻopumehana i ke aloha
Your Sheet:
I lawe mai a kuʻu poli
Hoʻopumehana i ku’u poli
Does that make a difference?
Thank you,
Sabina
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Great observation, Sabina! It’s a treat to dig deeper into this and pour over Her Majesty’s original notes.
For context: Since the Hawaiian language was banned and almost lost, there has been a lot of variation on song words from folks trying their best to preserve the music, but without much knowledge of the language. This has led to many variations of song lyrics. It’s often hard to know what is correct.
However, in this case, we have original manuscripts from the Queen to reference. Page 14 of this document is her handwritten notation and words for “Ahe Lau Makani”. Browse Catalog - Digital Archives of Hawaiʻi
I think I used He Mele Aloha for reference when making my sheets since it’s usually pretty accurate, but it looks to me like it has the last lines of verses 1 and 2 mixed up. The words you found kind of reflect this, but use small variations that slightly change the meaning.
- “…i kuʻu poli” is in your bosom
- “…a kuʻu poli” is of your bosom
Liliʻuokalani used “a kuʻu nui kino” and “a kuʻu poli.”
- “…i ke aloha” is in the aloha
- “…i ko aloha” is in your aloha
Liliʻuokalani used “i ko aloha.”
I’ve corrected the lyrics in the green box on the D2 lesson page to the best of what I can read from the Queens notes. I’ll try to update the music sheet when I get a chance.
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