Mālama Kō Aloha

The Kapu system helped us live in harmony with the land It gave us rules and regulations to help us understand To keep the waters clean for all of our neighbors Preserving food and resources for our next generations It was the blueprint to keep us all accountable A thousand years strong, never thought that it would fold Outside influences filled our ears with deception To change our ways but not all of us would accept it Some see new visions, some jockey for position Both sides on a mission to not face extinction And still to this day Kapihe’s words echo “The high shall be brought low, and the low shall rise to heaven” In the beginning or the end of an era You can never kill what was meant to live forever And we choose to celebrate, because hoʻomau ke ola In death or in life, “mālama kō aloha.” ʻAi noa, ʻai noa Echoes thru the pae ʻāina as the ʻai kapu topples over With one meal Liholiho shattered the system Kaʻahumanu and Keopuolani impressed that wisdom Separate from the old ways, no way! Kekuaokalani having none of that game He gathered his kiaʻi, still embracing tradition And marched from Kaʻawaloa To Kalanimoku’s position First blood Lekeleke rebels got the up Second blood skirmishes persisted, rebels got stuck Alongside his wahine koa, chiefess Manono Last stand, Kekuaokalani ma Kuamoʻo The old ways perished away, life ain’t been the same Since that December day in 1819 Sister pleads with brother, brother strikes sister “Mālama kō aloha,“ sisters last words whispered “Imua e nā pokiʻi a inu i ka wai ʻawaʻawa, ʻaʻohe hope e hoʻi mai ai.” A e, “Mālama kō aloha.” “Imua e nā pokiʻi a inu i ka wai ʻawaʻawa, ʻaʻohe hope e hoʻi mai ai.” A e, “Mālama kō aloha.” E manono la ea stood against the ʻai noa Exertion of might skill and strength wahine koa Leading the charge Kūkaʻilimoku as her pride She knew what was right for nā akua gave her life Mind sharp like the scales of Kihawahine May have lost the battle but will never be defeated Moʻokūʻauhau ended, moʻolelo lives on Just know we’ll be at war until the hewa’s undone Some of the prophecies are yet to be fulfilled Mai poina, our fate will never be sealed We can lament the past but what happened happened The ihe’s in our lap now’s the time for action Moʻolelo was happening when our temples was falling ʻAi kapu was broken and Christianity calling Our Kuhina Nui made her decision Wipe out our old Hawaiian religion Island by island all the heiau(s) went fall They neva stop until they went burn ‘em all When they reached Molokaʻi this is how it went Kāhuna gathered together, they held hands and they sent Pule that would bring our monarchy to its knees White going cover your ʻāina, choke you out like weeds Hāʻule ka lani, hāʻule niaupiʻo Heavens will fall, nā aliʻi left with zero Makaʻāinana is what we all gotta be To fulfill the rest of Pakui’s prophecy It’s a plea setting our ʻāina free Saving a place for our keiki’s, keiki’s, keiki’s kamaliʻi “Imua e nā pokiʻi a inu i ka wai ʻawaʻawa, ʻaʻohe hope e hoʻi mai ai.” A e, “Mālama kō aloha.” “Imua e nā pokiʻi a inu i ka wai ʻawaʻawa, ʻaʻohe hope e hoʻi mai ai.” A e, “Mālama kō aloha.”