Upidee.
1
The shadows of night covered over
Upide, upida,
Atop the snowy mountains,
Upide, i da,
A youth came marching
[With] a strange banner.
Chorus.–Upide, i de, i da,
Upide, upida,
Upide, i de, i da,
Upide, i de,
Ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro
Da, da—da, da—
Upide, i de, i da,
Upide, upida,
Upide, i de, i da,
Upide i da.
2
Head bowed down, so sad,
And a quick wind of the eye,
Shivering, yet exclaimed
In that strange language,
Cho.–Upide, i de, i da, &c.
3
There was a kind voice of welcome,
Oh stranger,
Come rest here with me,
He moved on and answered,
Cho.–Upide, i de, i da, &c.
4
There is a stranger travelling,
Covered in snow, and numb,
Yet holding on to that strange banner,
In his hands, and calling,
Cho.–Upide, i de, i da, &c.
Hawaii.
[The person using the pen name “Hawaii” translates a great number of hymns and songs in general.
If you are interested in what this American Civil War song sounded like in English (and I suppose you can imaging the Hawaiian as a result), see: Smithsonian Folkways, Upidee, Tom Glazer, or: Legacy Preservation Society, Songs We Like to Sing, 1912, or even the Muppets, here at 1:00!]
(Kuokoa, 5/27/1876, p. 4)
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke XV, Helu 22, Aoao 4. Mei 27, 1876.
