Info

An early World War One sitting canoe poi song, sung by an East Coast concert party who were fund-raising for Maori soldiers fighting and dying in the swamps of Passchendaele. The original song was quite heart-breaking. After the war it was modified to become a love song. (source)

Lyrics

Hoea rä te waka nei.
Hoea, hoea ki te pae
Ma te poi e karawhiu
E rähui i te pai.

Translation

Paddle this canoe (support those in combat)
Paddle, paddle to the horizon (to the war’s end)
May the beat of the poi (our fundraising concert)
keep up the morale (of both us and our boys) (source)

See also

YouTube

Extras for Plus Members

  • Song with chords (PDF)
  • MIDI file
  • Listen