HAWAII’S MOST BELOVED SONG

…as performed by who? Elvis? Playing guitar in a boat?I Watch out Elvis, don’t get that guitar wet!

This is “Aloha ‘Oe,” with lyrics by Hawaii’s last Queen, Liliʻuokalani. “Aloha ‘Oe” means “farewell to you.” Lili’uokalani wrote the lyrics and basically borrowed the melody from a popular song of the day, when she witnessed the parting of two people in love. Here is Huapala.org’s translation: “Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs/As it glided through the trees/Still following ever the bud/The ‘ahihi lehua of the vale, Farewell to you, farewell to you, The charming one who dwells in the shaded bowers, One fond embrace, ‘Ere I depart, Until we meet again.”