[Verse 1]
Morning light on Halava Bay,
Golden sun begins to play.
Whispers through the ironwood trees,
Calling softly over the sea.
Fishermen casting lines so slow,
Keiki laughing where the tide pools glow.
Sweet Molokaʻi, I hear your song,
In your peace, I still belong.

[Chorus]
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
Your spirit gentle, pure, and kind.
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
You live forever in my mind.
From the cliffs of Kalaupapa,
To the waves at Papohaku shore,
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
I couldn’t love you any more.

[Verse 2]
When the night wind softly sighs,
And the moonlight fills the skies,
You can hear the drums afar,
Like the beat of who we are.
*Hua kaʻi Pō along the trail, (Hua
Ancient footsteps, voices wail.
Not in fear but deep respect,
For the souls we must protect.

[Chorus]
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
Your spirit gentle, pure, and kind.
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
You live forever in my mind.
From the cliffs of *Kalaupapa,
To the waves at Papohaku shore,
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
I couldn’t love you any more.

[Bridge]
In the soft embrace of morning,
Nature sings her lullaby,
Every breeze, a sweet adoring,
Every wave, a tender sigh.
From the peaks to oceans flowing,
Your beauty melds with every sound,
In my heart, Molokaʻi's glowing,
In your love, I’m ever bound.

[Chorus]
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
Your spirit gentle, pure, and kind.
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
You live forever in my mind.
From the cliffs of Kalaupapa,
To the waves at Papohaku shore,
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
I couldn’t love you any more.

[Outro]
Molokaʻi ke aloha,
Under moonlight, spirits play,
Forever in my heart, you stay,
In the dawn's embrace, come what may.
With each sunrise and sunset glow,
Molokaʻi, I love you so.

​

Notes: 

Moloka'i:

Molokaʻi can be understood as:

• The island of Hina (ancestral mother figure)

• The island of powerful prayers

• A place of spiritual connection and strength

​

*Hua kaʻi Pō:

• Hua – can mean “offspring” or “descendants,” sometimes “troop” or “force” in a metaphorical sense.

• Kaʻi – “to lead” or “to march/propel.”

• Pō – “night” or “darkness.”

So in this context, “Hua kaʻi Pō” ...

“The marching force of the night” or “Night Marchers.”

These are spirits of ancient Hawaiian warriors said to roam the islands at night, especially on sacred paths, led by chiefs and accompanied by torches and war chants. Encountering them is considered dangerous unless you show respect—lying face down or avoiding eye contact.

​

*Kalaupapa:

• Kalaupapa sits on a remote peninsula at the base of Molokaʻi’s towering sea cliffs. In the 19th century, it became the site of a Hansen’s disease (leprosy) settlement, where people diagnosed with the disease were forcibly exiled beginning in the 1860s. This was due to fear and misunderstanding of the illness at the time.

• Locals and visitors sometimes speak of the Night Marchers (Huakaʻi Pō) being seen or felt in the Kalaupapa area. The peninsula is considered sacred ground, full of ancestral energy, where spirits of warriors or departed souls might still travel the ancient paths.

​

​

*Papohaku:

• Located on Molokaʻi’s west end, Papōhaku is one of the largest white-sand beaches in Hawaiʻi, stretching nearly three miles long and 100 yards wide.

• The name “Papōhaku” literally means “stone wall” or “stone floor/slab.”

  • Pa = wall, enclosure

  • Pōhaku = stone

• Traditionally, Papōhaku was an important gathering and fishing area.

• The stones from this area were said to have been used in the construction of ʻIolani Palace and other sacred structures on Oʻahu — transported across the channel by canoe.

• The site carries mana (spiritual power) and is sometimes linked in local lore to Huakaʻi Pō — the Night Marchers — whose spectral processions are said to cross the sands under the full moon.

​