Origins: Hawaiian Rainbows

Subject: Origins: 'Hawaiian Rainbows'
From: GUEST,SarahZ
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 07:47 PM

Hi, I'm looking for info on a folk song called "Hawaiian Rainbows". It's mostly a kids' song, I think.

Does anyone know who wrote it and how old it is?

These are the lyrics:

Hawaiian rainbows, white clouds roll by;
You show your colors against the sky.
Hawaiian rainbows, it seems to me,
Reach from the mountains down to the sea.

Here is a link to the music for the song:

http://www.ukeland.com/pages/media/music/Hawaiian%20Rainbows.pdf

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Hawaiian Rainbows'
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 08:49 PM

Often included in the Orff 'Schulwerk' method of teaching music to children, but I don't know if it was in Orff's original list.
Often done with faux hula moves. Couldn't find composer, but it is post-1930.
Words and 'hula' moves are on the net.

Subject: RE: Origins: 'Hawaiian Rainbows'
From: Kent Davis
Date: 17 Jul 08 - 10:25 PM

I learned it, with the "hula" motions, in music class at Edisto School, Cordova, South Carolina, in 4th grade, during the '69-'70 school year. I am not sure, but I think we learned it from an educational UHF television program, called "Time for Sounds", that we watched in the classroom.

Kent

Subject: RE: Origins: Hawaiian Rainbows
From: GUEST,Laurie S.
Date: 30 Mar 13 - 04:56 AM

I learned the song and the moves in 1960 from a wonderful Hawaiian woman named Pansy.
It was just one of a few songs and dances that I learned from her. Her children did it at their school in Hawaii before they moved to the mainland and she showed a movie of her youngest son (my age), doing it with his class when he was in kindergarden.

I remember the words somewhat differently.

Hawaiian rainbow
up in the sky.
Up in the mountains,
where the clouds roll by.

But I was such a young girl, maybe time took some of the words...

It is a sweet and simple little song, just perfect to teach to the very young.

Over the many years that have passed since I learned this song, I have never heard it sung
by anyone else, nor has anyone ever heard of it.

And now I have new lyrics!
So I guess I will just keep on sharing it with the children I meet and teach!

Peace,
Laurie

Subject: RE: Origins: Hawaiian Rainbows
From: GUEST,ghie
Date: 24 Jan 14 - 07:34 PM

I was looking for this song too, 21 years ago when I was 9 years old we use to sing this in the province of the Philippines called Negros oriental at Caranoche elementary school. I love that song! I was thinking about remixing it. I wonder whos the composer of that song. :-D. And now its crazy cause I live in Oahu now, what a small world <3.

Ghie

Subject: ADD Version: Hawaiian Rainbows
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Apr 14 - 07:26 PM

Here's a very annoying video of "Hawaiian Rainbow": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cABRF6UtVeM

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Here's a rather nice "seated hula" for children by Holly Nagel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMeXqr7zK4U

Nagel's lyrics:

Hawaiian rainbows, white clouds roll by;
You share your colors across the sky.
Hawaiian rainbows, it seems to me,
You reach the mountain down to the sea.

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Alternate:
http://www.broadjam.com/artists/songs.php?artistID=24172 (Tim Coons)

Hawaiian rainbows white clouds roll by
I see your colors against the sky
Hawaiian rainbows it seems to me
Come from the mountains down to the sea

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Also in:
Silver Burdett Music, Centennial Edition
Grade: 3

HAWAIIAN RAINBOWS

Hawaiian rainbows, white clouds roll by
You show your colors against the sky.
Hawaiian rainbows, it seems to me,
Reach from the mountain down to the sea.