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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 lalo o nā lā‘au hālana,
Hanu au i kou ‘ala milimili,
E ho‘omālie ana ku‘u na‘au.
Ke hanu mai ka makani o ka nahele,
E lawe ana i kou ‘ala aloha,
Ku‘u maka e nānā i kou hivahiva,
Eia au me ‘oe a mau loa.
Chorus:
E pili mau, e pili ē,
Ma ke aloha o ka vao nahele,
Wau nō me ‘oe i ka palapalai,
A he lei ʻoe no ku‘u kino ē.
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,
Wau nō me ‘oe, aloha ē...
I am with you among the palapalai,
In the beauty of everlasting love.