On the latest journey with my ukulele, we go from America to what used to be a sovereign nation itself, the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii has a complicated history, and while I won’t do a deep dive here, it’s enough to say that the United States was actively involved in overthrowing the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893, abolishing the country’s monarchy and deposing Queen Liliʻuokalani. To this day, she is a beloved figure in the islands.

Lili’uokalani was also a prolific composer, writing more than 150 songs during her lifetime. While still a princess she composed her most famous song, Aloha ‘Oe, which translates to Farewell to Thee. It’s about two lovers departing, which she wrote in 1878. The song took on special meaning after the monarchy was toppled — grief over the loss of country — and remains poignant today. A look at the lyrics:

Hawaiian:

Haʻaheo e ka ua i nā pali
Ke nihi aʻela i ka nahele
E uhai ana paha i ka liko
Pua ʻāhihi lehua o uka

Aloha ʻoe, aloha ʻoe
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo
One fond embrace
A hoʻi aʻe au
Until we meet again

English:

Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs
As it glided through the trees
Still following with grief the liko
The `ahihi lehua of the vale

Farewell to thee, farewell to thee
The charming one who dwells among the bowers
One fond embrace
Before I now depart
Until we meet again

For the video I added an introduction and repeated the refrain at the end. Instead of using my new Kala ukulele with the low G, I played the Islander, which has the traditional high G string. It felt a little more authentic with the brighter tone:

Beautiful song. If you thought you heard reverb, you are correct. I added just a touch in post-production to make my carpeted office sound a little more live.

Next up…an Elvis song!