Lyrics
(Folk song)
Macoway, cowetana, Way cowetana
Language & translation unknown
Recorder Notes G, A, B, C, D’
See also
- Harmony: I, V / Orff
- Melody: D,E,F#,A,B / G,A,B,C,D’
- Meter: 3
- Rhythm:
- Scale: pentachord
- Tones: drmfs
- PDF of song with chords + Lesson ideas + Orff arrangement
- MIDI file
- Listen to the song
Beth,
Do you happen to know what this song means? That is a question my students usually ask! Thanks! –Sarah
Sarah, honestly I don’t know with this one. Sometimes I tell my kids it means, “Mrs. Thompson is the best music teacher in the whole world!” And, of course, they don’t believe me.
Tell them you don’t know, but sometimes the words are nonsense words just to keep the beat while rowing (which a lot of these New Zealand songs were used for). Ask THEM what THEY think the words mean. If they were rowing a boat and all trying to keep their actions synchronized. 🙂
It looks like this is the origin of this song, called ‘E pāpā Waiari’! http://folksong.org.nz/epapa/
The words here don’t seem to be Maori, as Tash said perhaps it is meant to be E Papa Waiari
These letters and sounds are not part of the Māori language, and I’ve never heard this song in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Thanks for letting me know! I learned this at an Orff conference, and it was said to be a Maori folk song. I will edit it to say “country unknown.”