This song tells of the rift between American Samoans and the Upolu people.
(Penina O Tiafau version)
le taualaga a solomona
e faatatau i le alofa
e le mafai e vai e tele ona tineia ese
o le uo i aso uma a ole uso i aso vale
na’o le samoa tua i le samoa faalavelave
ae faanoanoa ai o lou agaga
ae ita ua soo tutuila ua e lau ita
faimai o samoa i sisifo e mativa
ae galo ia oe o oe lava ua e faalumaina
faimai e tele aa o le tagata
nai loo aa o laau uma lava
ae se paga o le ipu vai lea ua masaa
ae ui i lea oute talia ma lou loto fiafia
pule oe se oute le amanaia
lota uso samoa sei tautuana si o ta igoa
vaai i mata e afelele e maimoa
le malosi mai i le atua
o le tama poto e fuafua
ae a leaga e tauvalea ai ou matua
samoa ma si ona olaga na ose ieie e lavalava
e palapala foi mea e fai ai ana mea taumafa
leai ni mea ai tuuapa e susu le tina si ana tama
tolu masina fafaga loa i le mama
aise ua alai uso lo tau faaleaga mai
le tamai moa lale le ioio mai
aua nei e tau atu i tagata si ota olaga
manatua samoa o le penina o le vasa
This song appears on the Penina o Tiafau album, Music of Samoa, Volume 1. Check it out on Amazon.
DIS SONG REMINDS ME OF MY FAMS IN SAMOA
Having the ‘nz born’ tag, my parents did the obligatory trip back to the motherland, along with 6 kids in tow. While mum worked in pesega we were raised by maternal grandparents in mum’s ville of falelima.
Childhood memories of running around the village care-free, gao le underwear and a smile. Tagging along with ‘Pa’ to the local school and sitting with him while the ‘ipu ti ole taeao’ was served, a humbling dish of rice & eleni, koko Samoa on the woven coconut-leaf tray. Pushing a home made ‘boat’ made out of the hard-stem of the coconut with a long stick. We would race those babies in the sand like it was the grand prix! Joining all the village kids down at the matafaga, jumping into the sea and learning how to swim at the same time (and some near-drownings too ;)! Going up to the family land to collect popo’s and koko pods. I felt so grown-up when Pa would make my very own ‘amo’: 2 popo’s tied together and slung over both ends of a long stick which u would the carry on ur shoulders back to the village. Oh, taking an ‘aulama’ to the family next-door, asking to ‘se’i kuku mai le ka aulama faamolemole’, because we didn’t have any matches to light the cooking fire. E mu maka ile feula ole afi!
So many cherished memories of the humbling life in Samoa. And this song pens the poverty but most importantly, to remember and follow the good teachings of our parents, our Samoan customs, tu ma aganu’u and the love for ur fellow countrymen
poignant lyrics from our beloved Samoan artists who captured Life in Samoa through their music beautifully.
Thank u Penina ole Tiafau, “Maria&Alapati”, rest in peace Alapati xxxx
ohhhh nice story.HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. but me e leai lava ga mea sa kupu ia ke au i Samoa….E esese lava tagata.but o le song is soooooo good soooo veryyyyyyyy gooooooood. E 100% LE PESE LEA KALOFAE > MANATUA LAVA SAMOA MA SI ANA LAND .I CAN FEEL enjoy the son.( i can remeber my family also my friends and village also my district Falealili i le pese
omgosh myy parents love penina o tiafau ! mee too. lol maybe ihts because they were from our village afega ! lol REPRESENT IHT !
i LOVEEEEE this song….so much precious memoriess with my friends..lol…faafetai lava
oh yeah . I love the song too. its make me feel happy.And the song remained me Samoa Lou Atunuu pele.manaia le pese faafiafia ai lou nei tagata. !!!!BRILLIANT!!!!
100% LE SONG
it reminds me of may families at american samoa and may uncle solomona tua !
well dis song reminds me alot of my families in upolu especially my mum’s parents hu tuk care of me since i was little. Now im here with my mum in American Samoa but my heart is still in my homeland. O Upolu na faavae mai ai lo’u olaga. but hope to see all my families in Upolu.
oh I forgot, my village in Upolu r Faleapuna,siumu,Afega,Palisi,Malaela,Faatoia,moataa and Vaimea…….
This song make me think of the Upolu people calling other Upolu people mativa, while the Tutuila just seat their and wonder, why they calling each others some names and then went and sing a song about Tutuila…. I remember an old Tutuila man saying, that the man wrote these song was dump by his Upolu girlfriend at the Rainmaker Hotel bar to be with a Tutuila man, and she call him mativa doing arguing…. But hey, I just love the song without understanding it first, and still love it as SAMOAN. I just feel uncomfortable playing it around with my Upolu uso, I just wish they can change the lyrics….
I thought was just a made up song, thanks Tutuilan boy for info! nice song!
What year this song came out… Who is the composer? and what does it mean anyone pls?
One of my all time favorite of the Penina o Tiafau.
Yes!!!!!! DEfinitely one of my Ultimate Favorites!!! My Mother taught me this BEAUTIFUL SONG and wrote the lyrics for me. I lost the lyrics and so I am so happy that I found the lyrics again,
.. Oh How I MIss HER!!!!
I noticed someone mentioned when and who composed this Beautiful Song by “Penina O Tiafau.”
I would love to know also.
Thank You and Fa’afetai!!!!!
Lelei Molifua Doucet
mommalei@gmail.com