Aia i Ka'ala'ala'a Ku'u wahi kupuna wahini, Ua nui kona mau lā 'O ka noho 'ana i ke ao nei
Kāna hana i ke kakahiaka 'O ka wehe i ka Paipala nui, Ki'i aku la i nā maka aniani A penei e kau ai.
Hui E aloha kākou iāia, E mālama kākou ia Tūtū, E ho'āno kākou iāia, Kō kākou kupuna wahini.
A kau mai i ke ahiahi Ho'omākaukau e pule Ki'i aku la i nā maka aniani, Auwē! ua nalowale.
Aia i ka lae, I ka lae kahi kau ai, Ua poina loa 'ia I luna i ka lae.
Granny There at Ka'ala'ala'a My little grandmother, Many are her days Living in this world.
Her first act in the morning To open the big Bible, Get her glasses And put them on this way.
Chorus We love her, We care for Tūtū, We honor her, Our grandmother.
When evening comes Preparing for devotion Looking for her glasses, Auwē! disappeared.
There on her forehead, Placed on her forehead, Quite forgotten High on her forehead.
A happy little hula with a simple, memorable melody. Composed by Queen Lili-u-o-ka-lani for a benefit for Kau-maka-pili Church in Pā-lama, Honolulu. "Maira Heleluhe took the part of Tūtū and seven little girls, all uniformly dressed, acted as grandchildren. The queen trained the girls to sing this song and accompanied them on her guitar, singing with them."
pp. 92-93, "Nā Mele o Hawai'i Nei," 101 Hawaiian Songs, collected by Samuel H. Elbert and Noelani Mahoe, 1970 and reprints, 110pp., The University Press of Hawai'i.
The hula is sung by Emma Veary on the cd "The Best of Emma," The Mountain Apple Company, Honolulu, MACD 2034, track 7, Tutu.
Translation in Huapala.org:
There lived at Ka'ala'ala'a My aged dear old grandmother Her days were full of numbers That she lived in this world of care.
Her first duty in the morning Was to turn to the great Bible Then searching for her glasses She placed then on her nose.
Chorus Now we must all show her reverence We must all love our dear Tūtū We must do all to honor her Our dear grandmother Tūtū.
As the hour of eve drew near She'd prepare for eve's devotion And now seeks her glasses But lo, they are not there.
She had placed them on her forehead High up above her brow And there she soon forgot them High up above her forehead.