P o l y n e s i a n D a n c e & Hula F i t n e s s
co-op
USA & Germany
CALL US TODAY
1-(818)300.3615
Palapalai
composed by Barbara Dempsey
“I am with you among the palapalai ferns.”
It’s a love song set in the sacred forest, where the palapalai ferns sway gently and the sunlight filters through the trees. In Hawaiian tradition, the goddess Laka is the guardian of hula and the forests, and here she represents the spirit of the palapalai—graceful, nurturing, and full of life.
The song is about being close—walking together beneath the trees, breathing in the fragrance of the ferns, and feeling a sense of peace and connection. Laka’s presence reminds us that love and aloha can flow like the wind through the forest, tender yet enduring, guiding our hearts and movements.
So as you listen, imagine the forest alive with the mana of Laka, the rustle of palapalai, and the gentle rhythm of nature surrounding you. This is a song of love, devotion, and harmony with both the land and the spirit of hula.
Wau nō me ‘oe i ka palapalai, (I am with you in the palapalai fern,)
I lalo o nā lā‘au hālana, (Beneath the swaying forest trees)
Hanu au i kou ‘ala milimili, (I breathe in your gentle fragrance)
E ho‘omālie ana ku‘u na‘au. (Bringing peace to my heart)
Ke hanu mai ka makani o ka nahele, (When the forest breeze blows)
E lawe ana i kou ‘ala aloha, (It carries the scent of your love)
Ku‘u maka e nānā i kou hivahiva, (My eyes gaze upon your beauty)
Eia au me ‘oe a mau loa. (Here I am with you, forevermore)
Chorus:
E pili mau, e pili ē, (Always close, together we’ll be)
Ma ke aloha o ka vao nahele, (In the love of the wild forest)
Wau nō me ‘oe i ka palapalai, (I am with you in the palapalai fern)
A he lei ʻoe no ku‘u kino ē. (You are the lei that adorns my body)
Bridge:
I walk with you where the forest dreams,
Beneath the light of golden beams,
Your gentle touch, your sweet perfume,
Brings peace to my heart in nature’s bloom.
Chorus: Let us be close, always close,
In the love of the sacred forest,
I am with you among the palapalai,
You are the lei of my life
Chorus: Let us be close, always close,
In the love of the sacred forest,
I am with you among the palapalai,
You are the lei upon my body.
Tag:
E noho mau ‘oe i loko o ku‘u pu‘uwai, (Dwell forever within my heart)
Wau nō me ‘oe, aloha ē... (I am with you, my love)
I am with you among the palapalai,
In the beauty of everlasting love.