Sweet Lei Mamo - Words by Huelani, music by Charles Hopkins
Wehiwehi ka uka i ka nahele
Ka popohe lau o ka palai
Hau lipolipo i ke onaona
Hoapili o ke ʻaʻali`i

Hui:
Sweet lei mamo
Lei o ke aloha
Kāhiko nani ou nei
Sweet lei mamo

Ka uhi paʻa a ka noe
Ka luna ʻolu o Kilohana
I laila hoʻi au i ʻike ai
Kahi wai huʻi o Laʻialoha

Honehone leo o ke kāhuli
Leo leʻa o ka waokele
Ka `i`iwi ka hoa e like ai
My sweet lei mamo

How charming is the upland forest
Where the palai fern grows in profusion
They're dark leaved, breathing sweetness
So much like the ʻaʻali`i

Chorus:
Sweet lei mamo
Lei of love
Beautiful adornment for me
Sweet lei mamo

The thick screen of mist
Creeps across lovely Kilohana
It was there that I saw
The cold pool of Laʻialoha

Sweet is the voice of the land shell
Happy voice of the damp forest
Their voices are like that of the `i`iwi bird
My sweet lei mamo

Source: Hopkin's Aloha Collection - Verse 1, stanza 4, ʻaʻali`i is a native shrub with small red or yellow fruit. Mamo is the safflower or false saffron from Asia. The yellow feather like flowers were highly prized and loved by the Hawaiians.