Hawaii
Jesse Colin Young Lyrics


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I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
I want to be with all the kanes and wahines that I knew long ago
I can hear old guitars a playing, on the beach at Hoonaunau
I can hear the Hawaiians saying "Komomai no kaua ika hale welakahao"
It won't be long 'til my ship will be sailing back to Kona
A grand old place that's always fair to see
I'm just a little Hawaiian and a homeside Island boy
I want to go back to my fish and poi
I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
Where the Humuhumu, Nukunuku a puaa goes swimming by
Where the Humuhumu, Nukunuku a puaa goes swimming by

I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
I want to be with all the kanes and wahines that I knew long ago
I can hear old guitars a playing, on the beach at Hoonaunau
I can hear the Hawaiians saying "Komomai no kaua ika hale welakahao"
It won't be long 'til my ship will be sailing back to Kona
A grand old place that's always fair to see
I'm just a little Hawaiian and a homeside Island boy
I want to go back to my fish and poi




I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
Where the Humuhumu, Nukunuku a puaa goes swimming by

Overall Meaning

Jesse Colin Young’s song “Hawaii” is a melancholic tribute to the singer’s childhood home. The lyrics of the song transport the listener to the tiny grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii, where the author used to reside. The verses express the singer’s yearning to return to the place where he grew up and to reunite with the friends he made there, whom he refers to as kanes and wahines. The song also describes the sights and sounds of the singer’s Hawaiian home. Young recalls the humuhumu, nukunuku a puaa, or reef triggerfish, swimming by in the clear blue sea, and the sound of old guitars playing on the beach at Hoonaunau. The chorus repeats the singer’s wish to return to his humble grass shack, eat fish and poi, and be with his Hawaiian kin.


At first glance, this song appears to be a simple description of a nostalgic yearning for home. However, there is a deeper darkness hidden beneath the lyrics. Jesse Colin Young left his Hawaiian home as a child and moved to Greenwich Village, where he formed The Youngbloods, an American rock band. The cultural tension between his Hawaiian roots and his life in the big city is present in this song. The lyrics refer to Young as “just a little Hawaiian,” a symbol of his feeling of otherness in his new environment. “Hawaii” is a lament to a childhood left behind, to a culture lost, and to a life Young can never quite recapture.


Line by Line Meaning

I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
The singer desires to return to his small and humble home in Hawaii.


I want to be with all the kanes and wahines that I knew long ago
The singer wants to be reunited with his old friends and acquaintances, both male and female.


I can hear old guitars a playing, on the beach at Hoonaunau
The singer can mentally hear the sounds of old guitars being played on the beach at Hoonaunau in Hawaii.


I can hear the Hawaiians saying "Komomai no kaua ika hale welakahao"
The singer can hear Hawaiians welcoming him and his companions to their house or home called Welakahao.


It won't be long 'til my ship will be sailing back to Kona
The singer's trip to Hawaii is almost over and he will soon be on a ship heading back to the town of Kona.


A grand old place that's always fair to see
Kona is a beautiful and attractive place that never fails to impress those who visit.


I'm just a little Hawaiian and a homeside Island boy
The singer identifies himself as a small and humble Hawaiian who has lived on the island for a long time.


I want to go back to my fish and poi
The singer craves the traditional Hawaiian dishes of fish and poi.


Where the Humuhumu, Nukunuku a puaa goes swimming by
The singer wants to return to a place where he can see the beautiful and unique Humuhumu and Nukunuku a puaa fishes swimming in the water.


Where the Humuhumu, Nukunuku a puaa goes swimming by
The singer reiterates his desire to return to a place where he can see the beautiful and unique Humuhumu and Nukunuku a puaa fishes swimming in the water.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILL COGSWELL, JOHNNY NOBLE, TOMMY HARRISON, WILLIAM COGSWELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

woedan

YES! Thanks for this video.Jesse still puts on a GREAT SHOW!

Jay Smith

Jesse and Tommy :)

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