Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: leeneia
Date: 01 Feb 20 - 02:39 PM

Thanks for the link, Guest. I had this song on a Kingston Trio album as a kid, and I always wondered where it came from.

Your video led me to another Tahitian song, "Ragout Pommes de terre." Such fun!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Jan 20 - 12:45 PM

With the recent death of Bob Shane,
the two Kingston Trio members who were
raised and schooled on the Hawaiian Islands
are reunited on the other side, after all these years
(Dave Guard died some twenty years earlier).

Now they must be having a heck of a reunion over there.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Apr 16 - 05:48 PM

This Kingston Trio album used to be on the turntable at home in my childhood. I was so curious about these Tahitian songs, which were sung with a lot of energy and drive. What on earth were they singing about? It was also unintentionally funny, because the Trio men were so macho about it, like three big husky football players, puffing their chests out and strutting with the lyrics, but then the lyrics seemed like nonsense because I knew nothing of the languages.

I realize that the Kingston Trio is one of those groups who get a lot of pro-con arguments going on this forum. They have a spot in my heart just because they have such enthusiasm, it's a very attractive trait, especially to a small child.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 12 Apr 16 - 02:19 PM

Coming full circle:

"Toerau" (George Archer) ends the "Sold Out" album medley performed, with bongo drums, by the Kingston Trio.

The medley opens with a song, not by George Archer, but by Eddie Lund (who, according to Michael H. Goldsen, had the misfortune not to own the copyrights on his own songs; George Archer had his own copyrights).
Here are the lyrics to the Eddie Lund song, from which the Kingston Trio segues directly into "Toerau."


TANGA TIKA

(Eddie Lund)
(Copyright 1950-57-85)

Aue tangi tangi tikake aue
Aue tangi tangi tikake aue

Tangi tikake au taku vahine
Tera tei raro tonga ra
Aue tangi tangi tikake aue

Na mama
naka hina aro
Na papa
naka fa'a tupu
na mama
e nake tatara e

Tangi tikake au taku vahine
Tera tei raro tonga ra
Aue tangi tangi tikake aue

Criterion's Hawaiian Sing-A-Song Lyric Book
Michael H. Goldsen, Inc.

Subject: Lyr Add: E Inu Tatou E
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Apr 16 - 06:42 PM

May as well stay on a roll and put another song on this thread.
George Archer is the author again.
"Here We Go Again" is the album, in this case, with the Kingston Trio recording; they did not put E Inu Tatou E on the Sold Out album along with the Tanga Tika/Toerau medley.



E INU TATOU E
(George Archer, copyright 1947-63-650

CHORUS
E inu tatou e
hara e inu tatou ite ava e (repeated)

A rave hoi oe
A rave hoi oe
A rave ite mau peu rii e

A rave ite mau peu
rii mau ae
te mana ote vahine e.    (end chorus)


Verse, solo

Haere nei 'au ite matete
tere iti ta'u ta'u vahine iti
'te ite ra'a mai ta'u vahine
iti hio tura i raro e

eiaha tou mata e pio i
raro hio tou mata ia'u e
eiaha oe e haama ia'u
te haama to'a nei au e

repeat CHORUS

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9haV-L96n-w

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Apr 16 - 02:44 PM

Welcome, guest 'pound-sign.' I started a commotion on one thread (deleted) when I referred to you as 'pound-sign' meaning '#'.

My keyboard does not have the pound-sterling sign for obvious reasons, but some people thought of THAT right away.

Nice link, yours, thanks -- although it goes to "E inu tatou e," not to "Toerau." That is George Archer and his Pagans, however, the author and the original recording.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Apr 16 - 02:15 PM

Bibliography for the Tahiti song itself (no translation whatever)

Book no. 7,
Authentic Songs from the Romantic Islands

publisher: Criterion Music Corporation
foreword: Michael H. Goldsen
?Webley Edwards? (copyright negotiation I think)

page 8: Toerau
Page 3: E inu tatou e

both recorded by the Kingston Trio,
both written by George Archer, and under copyright

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 10 Apr 16 - 02:10 PM

The word is written "to'erau" in the sources I've seen - the glottal stop is phonemic. That would be cognate with Maori "tokerau", but I can't find what that means. "Te Tai Tokerau" is a name for the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand, the bit north of Auckland.

I will have a rummage through my Maori dictionary when I find it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Apr 16 - 01:36 PM

This is all I can scrape up.

Rau haari appears to mean coconut leaves.

Tahiri, hau, te matai -- all refer to wind, breezes, air.

patoto te miti -- the pounding of the waves, surf

puehu te one i Taunoa e -- the dusty beach of Taunoa

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 07 Apr 16 - 10:01 PM

I wonder if the following link would be of any help, keberoxu. Listening to the link provided by Janie (thank you :-)) I think maybe not. But . . .

http://territorialairwaves.com/index.php?page=3&id=47

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: Janie
Date: 07 Apr 16 - 09:52 PM

Toerau - George Archer

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Apr 16 - 06:43 PM

Two more things I can tell you.

"Haapape" and "Taunoa" are both place-names. Both are to be found in French Polynesia on the island of Tahiti.

"Te pape" means "the water."

Subject: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Apr 16 - 05:15 PM

That was me who entered the original post. I was in haste and didn't log in, sorry.

I wonder what the lyrics mean!

Wanted to scrape for something online, and I got no further than the title word, in use in Tahiti.

"Toerau" indicates two things: a cardinal direction; and the wind which blows from that direction. The direction in question is supposedly north, sometimes north of northwest. (Remember we're in the southern hemisphere.) This language has gender, and "Toerau" is masculine; the winds, according to one source, can be female or male, and the wind indicated by "Toerau" is positively male. It is rough, driving, and frequently stormy. And now I've told you everything I know. About the meaning, I mean.

Subject: Lyr Add: Toerau (Kingston Trio: Sold Out album)
From: GUEST,Toerau: Polynesian, from Tahiti; by George A
Date: 07 Apr 16 - 03:56 PM

This is in a songbook, I found a copy of it. That said:
it sounds slightly different from what is in the book. The difference is that there is a passage, which begins and ends the song on the recorded performances. It is lyrics and rhythm, very fast, and although this is not a language I know at all, I can hear that these word-syllable-sounds are different than anything on the printed page in the songbook. This is true of:

the original recording, on 78 RPM, by George Archer And His Pagans, on Bell Records;

and of The Kingston Trio, on The Kingston Trio: Sold Out. It is obvious, listening to these performances (YouTube has them), that the Kingston Trio learned this song straight off of the old 78 by George Archer And His Pagans, they are that alike, right down to the part which for some reason nobody will print!!
The unprinted part is about twelve bars long, at the very beginning and at the very end.

And here's what's in the songbook: I can hear that it is exactly what George Archer sings; the Kingston Trio copy this with enthusiasm, but the diction gets a little sloppy and sometimes it is congruent with the print, sometimes not.


TOERAU

(George Archer)

Ha u ti u ti mai
te mau rau ha a ri

Ta hi ri hi a mai
te ma tai e.

Te ma ta i e ha he.

(chorus: repeated)
To e rau e (to e rau e)
To e rau e (to e rau e)

Toerau te matii
i farara mai e
ua patoto te miti
Haapape 'ua toriri
te pape i papaoa e
te pape i papaoa e
e puehu te one i Taunoa e.

Copyright 1945 by George Archer