Ilihia Gionson wrote a great piece that appeared in “Ka Wai Ola O Oha” about the origins of this song. You can listen to Kama Hopkins’ recording of it below.
| E ku‘u hoa pūnaewele, ‘eā | My network friend |
| I hāpai ‘ia kou inoa ‘eā | Your name has been mentioned |
| Kainō ua kama‘āina, ‘eā | It seems that we are acquainted |
| Wahi a nēia Alo Puke, eā | According to this Facebook thing. |
| He mau hoa like paha, ‘eā | Perhaps we have similar friends |
| Hele i ke kula ho‘okahi, ‘eā | Who went to the same school |
| A launa ma kehahi ‘ano, ‘eā | Or met in some other way |
| Pehea lā ho‘i ka pilina, ‘eā? | How indeed are we connected? |
| Pi‘i mau a‘e ka heluna, ‘eā | A numbers keep climbing |
| Ma ka pahu ‘ula‘ula, ‘eā | In the red box |
| He memo hou nō ho‘i, ‘eā | A new message |
| ‘Akahi a ho‘okau ‘ia, ‘eā | Has just been posted |
| Mai ho‘ololi i ke kūlana, ‘eā | Don’t change your status |
| Ke kalaiwa i ke alanui, ‘eā | When driving the road |
| O hālāwai auane‘i, ‘eā | Or you might meet |
| Me ka ulia ka‘a ‘ino, ‘eā | With a bad motor vehicle accident |
| Hiki mai nei he makana, ‘eā | A gift has arrived |
| Kohu mea ‘ono ka ‘ikena, ‘eā | Which looks like a cake |
| He ki‘i wale nō na‘e, eā | But is just a picture |
| I hiki ‘ole ke ‘ai ‘ia, ‘eā | Which cannot be eaten |
| Lohe ‘ia ka leo moa, ‘eā | The sound of the cock is heard |
| Kūpina‘i i ke analipo, ‘eā | Reverberating beyond the horizon |
| Ua aha ‘ia nā hola, ‘eā? | What happened to the time? |
| Lilo i ka hana lapuwale, ‘eā | It was lost in worthless activity |
| Pio iho nei ke ku‘ina, ‘eā | The network connection has dropped |
| I hea ku‘u lawe lima, ‘eā? | Where is my mobile phone? |
| Hā‘ina ‘ia ka puana, ‘eā | Let the story be told |
| Ku‘u mau hoa Alo Puke, ‘eā | Of my FaceBook friends. |
Sung to the melody of Hilo Hula. (“Kaulana Mai Nei ‘o Hilo, ‘ea”)
This is wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this.
I am reminded of something I think about often… Uncle George Naope cautioning us that we already have a lot of mele of the past, and we need to remember to document the present.
This is a wonderful example of what Uncle George was talking about!
Mahalo!