Mehameha

Mehameha - Lyrics by Rick Bibbs, Music by Peter Moon

Ua mehameha au
ʻAʻohe hoaloha
Ua nui nā makahiki
A hele aku hoʻi au

ʻIʻini au ia ʻoe e noho
ʻIna ʻaʻole ua hiki nō
E hiʻipoi mau no wau ia ʻoe
Aloha mau no wau ia ʻoe

E hele au ma ke kai
E luana me ka ʻae kai
Ke one hoʻi ua hoʻolu mai
Holoi aʻe i kuʻu waimaka

Why am I alone
No friends
It's been many years
And someday I'll be gone

I wish you would stay
But if you can't, don`t
I'll always caress you
I'll always love you

I'll go by the sea
To pass the time with the tide
The sands comfort me
And wipe my tears away

Source: Hawaiian lyrics by Alice Namakelua. Rick Bibbs, the lyricist, explains the inspiration for this mele in his own words.
"Ron Rosha and I were roommates. Peter (Moon), Robert and Roland (Cazimero), The Sunday Manoa, rehearsed the album on our lanai at 2755 Ferdinand, Manoa (Valley). This is where I played my 4-overdub a-capella version of Mehameha for Peter and gave him the lyric sheet.
I had worked for Ron (Rosha) at KLEI while 'Hawaiian Time' was the current release and I featured it heavily. My signoff song was Bla (Pahinui) singing Kaena. His resemblance to Gabby was haunting. We got to hang out at my Palolo house in the summer of 1969. Sitting alone in Kapiʻolani Park, mulling a lost love, the lyrics came to me in tears. Hawaiʻi was what I had left to love and that's what I wrote. The original tune was a country blues waltz bearing no relation to the released version. The intro verse started on the 3-count. It is omitted from the translation". Here are the original English lyrics, never before published.

Don't love nobody but the trees,
People smile but they don't stay.
Guess nobody cares for me,
Shoulda been gone yesterday.

I don't know why I'm so alone,
Got no friends but the sky.
I've been around a hundred years
But I'll be gone by and by.

I want so much for you to stay,
But if you can't then don't try.
I'll hold you softly while I can
And I'll love you till I die.

Guess I'll go by the sea,
Got some friends in the rolling tide.
The shining sands will comfort me
And the gentle waves will wash my eyes.

Mehameha - Lyrics by Rick Bibbs, Music by Peter Moon
Ua mehameha au ʻAʻohe hoaloha Ua nui nā makahiki A hele aku hoʻi au ʻIʻini au ia ʻoe e noho ʻIna ʻaʻole ua hiki nō E hiʻipoi mau no wau ia ʻoe Aloha mau no wau ia ʻoe E hele au ma ke kai E luana me ka ʻae kai Ke one hoʻi ua hoʻolu mai Holoi aʻe i kuʻu waimaka	Why am I alone No friends It's been many years And someday I'll be gone I wish you would stay But if you can't, don`t I'll always caress you I'll always love you I'll go by the sea To pass the time with the tide The sands comfort me And wipe my tears away
Source: Hawaiian lyrics by Alice Namakelua. Rick Bibbs, the lyricist, explains the inspiration for this mele in his own words. "Ron Rosha and I were roommates. Peter (Moon), Robert and Roland (Cazimero), The Sunday Manoa, rehearsed the album on our lanai at 2755 Ferdinand, Manoa (Valley). This is where I played my 4-overdub a-capella version of Mehameha for Peter and gave him the lyric sheet. I had worked for Ron (Rosha) at KLEI while 'Hawaiian Time' was the current release and I featured it heavily. My signoff song was Bla (Pahinui) singing Kaena. His resemblance to Gabby was haunting. We got to hang out at my Palolo house in the summer of 1969. Sitting alone in Kapiʻolani Park, mulling a lost love, the lyrics came to me in tears. Hawaiʻi was what I had left to love and that's what I wrote. The original tune was a country blues waltz bearing no relation to the released version. The intro verse started on the 3-count. It is omitted from the translation". Here are the original English lyrics, never before published.
Don't love nobody but the trees, People smile but they don't stay. Guess nobody cares for me, Shoulda been gone yesterday. I don't know why I'm so alone, Got no friends but the sky. I've been around a hundred years But I'll be gone by and by. I want so much for you to stay, But if you can't then don't try. I'll hold you softly while I can And I'll love you till I die. Guess I'll go by the sea, Got some friends in the rolling tide. The shining sands will comfort me And the gentle waves will wash my eyes.