Samoa e maopo’opo mai

Vaniah Toloa | 24 comments

About Samoans, wherever they go, they know that Samoa will always be their home

Pe lele le toloa i fea
e ma’au lava i le vai,
e pei o upu o le muagagana
se’iloga e te moe i lou fala
pe malulu, e te moe mafanafana
Pe o fea o lenei lalolagi
e te aumau ai,
e te manatua ai lou atunu’u moni
se’iloga e te toe fo’i mai i le lau ele’ele
na foa’i mai e le Atua e fai mo ou tofi
(Aue)

Samoa e, maopo’opo mai
Ia e pei o le toloa
pe lele i fea,
ai ma’au lava i le vai
Samoa e, maopo’opo mai
Ia e pei o le toloa
pe lele i fea,
ai ma’au lava i le vai

E ui na ou aumau i atunu’u ese
vavao mamao i vasa e tele
Samoa e le galo atu oe
O oe o la’u penina tau tele
O le tomai na tu’u gutu mai
O le pogai o lo’u atamai,
ou te fa’afetai
O au tu ma nai au aga
Fa’aaloalo so’o i se tagata
O le ala lea o lo’u mitamita
Penina oe o le Pasefika
Lou fa’avae ia tumau
Lau aganu’u ia u’u mau
ia fa’avavau

Samoa e, maopo’opo mai
Ia e pei o le toloa
pe lele i fea,
ae ma’au lava i le vai
Samoa e, maopo’opo mai
Ia e pei o le toloa
pe lele i fea,
ae ma’au lava i le vai

Ia e pei o le toloa
pe lele i fea
ae ma’au lava i le vai

Ia e pei o le toloa
pe lele i fea
ae ma’au lava i le vai

Most of the lyrics on this site were submitted by fans of Samoan music, so the words might not be entirely correct… and we may not know who originally composed the song.

Please help us to learn.

Please share any corrections or knowledge about this song in a comment below. Whatever we can verify, we will update in this post.

Ma le fa’aaloalo lava.

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mamananupo

To all my brothers and sisters
who are away from home
who will never make it to our shores
you will always be Samoan

just give yourself a little reminder
all the languages that you speak
you will always be Samoan

even though you’re far away
they will know who you are
by the way that we live day by day
your name will be heard afar
when you’re feeling down and you’re lonely
pack your bags and go
come back home.

filisita

Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making me feel good enough. For so long, I’ve felt like I’m not ‘Samoan enough’, especially with the pale complexion. So thank you.

filisita

Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making me feel good enough. For so long, I’ve felt like I’m not ‘Samoan enough’, especially with the pale complexion. So thank you.

The Chad

Literal Translation, as word for word or phrase for phrase as possible before grammatical corrections are put in so as to keep the poetic stance songs have in the Samoan language. Yes it’s very different if going for a grammatically correct translation into the English language, although the meaning would be conveyed, there would be a sense of loss in it’s poetry.

As a duck flies wherever
it will return to water,
just like words in the mother tongue
until you have slept in your bed
whether cold, you will sleep with warmth
Wherever on this planet
you live in,
you will remember your true land (origin)
until you have returned to your land
given to you by God as your place

Samoans, gather together
May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water
Samoans, gather together
May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water

Even though I live in different lands
great distances with vast horizons
Samoa unforgotten are you
You are my treasure of great value
It is a wisdom imparted to me
The source of my understanding
I am so thankful
Your customs and your ways
respectful to any person
This is my reason to be proud
Treasure you are of the Pacific
Your foundations may they remain
Your culture may it hold on
forevermore

Samoans, gather together
May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water
Samoans, gather together
May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water

May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water

May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water

Just remember this is as close to a literal word for word translation as I can get, actual translation would bring some changes to convey meaning and to be grammatically correct in English changing the phrases and sentences ever so much.

This song will forever hold sentimental meaning for my mother’s entire family, myself included. The mother land where we were born, we have left for the sake of our future, in the lives of our children, lest we forget the land that birthed us… our ways… our heritage.

Whenever I leave Samoa, I truly understand the meaning of leaving a piece of my heart and soul behind. My grandparents, half-cast and native, born there, spent their entire lives there,… and ultimately, laid to rest there.

May my children, and their children after, return there one day to learn what it is to be Samoan in mind and spirit. It is not found in our language alone, but in our customs and traditions that are fast fading with the times as Samoa forges on ahead into tomorrow.

Soifua

Aiga Fuimaono

I love this song, and it means a lot to me, and growing up my dad use to tell me of Samoa and he played this song and I just grew up to love it and understand it.
Fa’amalosi pea!!!!
Alofa atu outou
Fa’afetai tele lava!!!

Sinapati

me too samoa is my home country

Meghan

This song is so inspirational to me. I just moved to Aus and everytime I hear this song, I sing along thinking of Samoa and how I miss it so much… 🙂

Ann-Marie Lilomaiava

beautiful song!! are we able to get the English lyrics for this song?

Bella

Right are we able to get the English lyrics..??

Soliga

Is a good song.

Ms Falealupo

This song reminds of Samoa, born NZ raised in AUS. Samoa is home

Veronica

Would you happen to have the english verse? There’s one line in it i can’t seem to figure out. Love this song!!

mamananupo

see down low..vaai l lalo.. sio ki llo…

To all my brothers and sisters
who are away from home
who will never make it to our shores
you will always be Samoan
just give yourself a little reminder
all the languages that you speak
you will always be Samoan
even though you’re far away
they will know who you are
by the way that we live day by day
your name will be heard afar
when you’re feeling down and you’re lonely
pack your bags and go
come back home.

Mara Gase

Love this song. Just wanna correct one line of second verse. “O le tomai na tuu gutu mai…not tuu mutu. Meaning the knowledge been passed down from word of mouth…thanks

Bella

Its a very good song..

Jessie

Really good song…reminds me of Samoa and the past.

Ina

what’re the english words?

saline

great one

mamananupo

To all my brothers and sisters
who are away from home
who will never make it to our shores
you will always be Samoan

just give yourself a little reminder
all the languages that you speak
you will always be Samoan

even though you’re far away
they will know who you are
by the way that we live day by day
your name will be heard afar
when you’re feeling down and you’re lonely
pack your bags and go
come back home.

Sam

just a correction please,,,ai ma’au lava i le vai should be ae ma’au lava i le vai..thanks

nina

can someone translate this for me
Ia e pei o le toloa
pe lele i fea,
ae ma’au lava i le vai

I am writing an essay for college on music and I wanted to translate this the best I could without offending the Samoan culture in any way. Thank you.

James

No matter where the Toloa bird goes, it always comes home.

Chad

Be as the duck (or duckling)
No matter where flown
Will always return to the water

Faafetai Salvation Lemautu

anyone please correct me if Im wrong but to help you out Nina. The Toloa is a type of bird that lives near streams or any source of water for it is its key to survival. Your saying that you must be like the toloa a bird that no matter where it flies, it will always return to the water. Correct me if Im wrong, the Toloa if I remember correctly is the Samoan word for Duck. As used in the Song ”Samoa e Maopoopo Mai” by Vaniah Toloa.

The Chad

Literal Translation, as word for word or phrase for phrase as possible before grammatical corrections are put in so as to keep the poetic stance songs have in the Samoan language. Yes it’s very different if going for a grammatically correct translation into the English language, although the meaning would be conveyed, there would be a sense of loss in it’s poetry.

As a duck flies wherever
it will return to water,
just like words in the mother tongue
until you have slept in your bed
whether cold, you will sleep with warmth
Wherever on this planet
you live in,
you will remember your true land (origin)
until you have returned to your land
given to you by God as your place

Samoans, gather together
May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water
Samoans, gather together
May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water

Even though I live in different lands
great distances with vast horizons
Samoa unforgotten are you
You are my treasure of great value
It is a wisdom imparted to me
The source of my understanding
I am so thankful
Your customs and your ways
respectful to any person
This is my reason to be proud
Treasure you are of the Pacific
Your foundations may they remain
Your culture may it hold on
forevermore

Samoans, gather together
May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water
Samoans, gather together
May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water

May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water

May you be like the duck
who flies wherever,
but always returns to the water

Just remember this is as close to a literal word for word translation as I can get, actual translation would bring some changes to convey meaning and to be grammatically correct in English changing the phrases and sentences ever so much.

This song will forever hold sentimental meaning for my mother’s entire family, myself included. The mother land where we were born, we have left for the sake of our future, in the lives of our children, lest we forget the land that birthed us… our ways… our heritage.

Whenever I leave Samoa, I truly understand the meaning of leaving a piece of my heart and soul behind. My grandparents, half-cast and native, born there, spent their entire lives there,… and ultimately, laid to rest there.

May my children, and their children after, return there one day to learn what it is to be Samoan in mind and spirit. It is not found in our language alone, but in our customs and traditions that are fast fading with the times as Samoa forges on ahead into tomorrow.

Soifua

LAKIZZ

I SING THIS SONG EVERY DAY

Sesiona

I love this song. Brings me warmth and I am able to reconnect with my language. I can not speak Samoan at all but I can sing word for word with this song.

I am also currently doing an assignment on this song.