Lyrics
(Call)
E kū mai, e nā kūpuna!
E ala mai, e ka ʻāina!
(Response)
Kū mai! Ala mai!
Ka leo o ka wā kahiko!
(Call)
E hoʻōho, e ka makani!
E hāpai, e ka nalu!
(Response)
Hōʻoho! Hāpai!
Ka mana o ke kai!
(Call)
E pūlama, e ka lā!
E mālama, e ka mahina!
(Response)
Pūlama! Mālama!
Ka mālamalama o ke ao!
(Call)
E hoʻomaikaʻi, e nā akua!
E hoʻomaikaʻi, e ka honua!
(Response)
Hoʻomaikaʻi! Hoʻomaikaʻi!
Ka pōmaikaʻi mau loa!
Translation (with deeper meaning)
The words are ancient, yet alive with layered meaning. The ancestors are summoned. The land is awakened. Wind shouts. Waves rise and lift everything with them. Sun and moon are cherished. Gods and earth are praised. In Hawaiian, every word carries many shades: “hāpai” means to lift, to carry, to raise a child, to swell with desire. On this track it is all of those at once.
The ocean roars in, chest-thumping and primal. The drums answer like a heartbeat deep in the pelvis. The chant rises and falls like breath during love-making. This is the raw, sensual power of nature and community intertwined — the same force that makes the waves crash and bodies move closer on a moonlit beach.
Feel it. Let it lift you.
The Story Behind Hōʻoho! Hāpai
This chant rises like a massive wave on the north shore—powerful, unstoppable, yet deeply intimate. It began during a stormy dawn when the ocean roared with such force that the ground trembled. The wind carried voices from the past, and in that moment, the island's mana felt alive, sensual, almost overwhelming.
Hōʻoho! Hāpai is a call to awaken—to stand with the ancestors, the land, the sea. It's not just sound; it's the pulse of Maui itself: the thunder of waves, the breath of wind, the heat of the sun on skin. In the sensual spirit of this album, the song invites you to feel that raw connection—your body vibrating with the island's energy, every call and response echoing the quiet passion between lover and beloved, nature and human.
The layered meanings of Hawaiian words make it impossible to translate perfectly, but that's the beauty: the chant carries more than words—it carries mana. Listen with your whole being. Let it lift you.
Comments & Thoughts
Share your feelings about the music, stories, or aloha vibes.