I was born and raised in Hawaiʻi, and as someone who is not Hawaiʻian by blood, I do not consider it my home. This song is about growing up in occupied native land, bearing witness to the mistreatment of native peoples by the local and federal governments, and by the rich white people who moved there and refer to it as theirs. It is a retelling of history by someone who benefitted from the violence from the bloodshed, and I make no attempts to distance myself from what happened. Listen to the song, and listen to Kānaka Maoli, and then continue to listen to them. Hawaii was never ours, and it will never be ours. Support Hawaiʻian Sovereignty. Decolonization now!
This track includes clips of Dr. Haunani Kay-Trask, a Hawaiʻian writer, educator, and political scientist. The first clip is from a 1990 episode of Island Issues discussing racism in Hawaiʻi, and the second clip is from her 1993 speech at ʻIolani Palace at a demonstration commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiʻian Monarchy by white american businessmen.
lyrics
Am, Dm, F, E
F, Am, E
Just cause I was born there doesn't mean that it's my home
Stolen by a coup d'état of white men long ago
Throwing out the natives where the fuck they gonna live?
Waiting for the day when they can take back what they missed
A nation that claims freedom but we'll take your land with ease
Throw you on some homesteads where your poverty's disease
Can only be seen by the homeless camps along the beach
Sweep you under one big rug so tourists won't see
We took your way of life
And blasted it to hell
Cleared way for every businessman
To retire or sell
Land that isn't his
To folks that aren't yours
And we'll pretend not to notice
The blood on your shores
Just because we stole it doesn't mean it's ours to own
No treaty, no agreements, just a rape for us to sow
We certainly know how to get away with it
Make a fake paradise but no one can afford it
Put battleships and army barracks on your bays and fields
Bomb the fuck out of your islands so no one else can steal
We called dibs, we say it's fine, we've improved your life
If you don't like it, you can leave, or you can stay and die
Breakdown (Am, Dm, E x3, F, E) x2
We took your way of life
And blasted it to hell
Cleared way for every businessman
To retire or sell
Land that isn't his
To folks that aren't yours
And we'll pretend not to notice
The blood on your shores
Hi we're a couple of queerdos that write songs that are punk and folk and everywhere in between. Fuzzed out violins, fast paced guitars, singing our hearts out. Learning to wield hope like a baseball bat <3
John Underwood is a ten-piece one-man-band, and he seems to be producing new instruments from his infinite beard every time I see him. He's an incredible musician, and deserves a proper listen to <3 Flower Crown Me A Queen
Bobby's Oar is one of those projects where you notice something new on every listen. Greg's writing and playing style are infinite influences on me, and Not What I'm Looking For is just incredible. Flower Crown Me A Queen
You haven't heard of Escape The Stake yet, but you will. This is everything that got me into folk punk in the first place, plus a little more. Pay attention, this person is fucking going places! Flower Crown Me A Queen
The haunting new record from Canadian folk artist Avi C. Engel bridges old and new traditions with a minimalist approach. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 24, 2024