[Intro]
Shells on my neck
Sand on my feet
Sun gone down
But the blood still heat
[Verse 1]
Venom in my veins when the war chant start
Tā moko on my soul, that’s a battle-scarred heart
Hawaiian warrior, bare chest, dark sky
Sharks in the surf, you can see it in my eyes
Polynesia pride in the sway of my stance
Ancestors march every time that I dance
Tides talk back when we beat on the ground
Whole reef shake when we lay that sound
[Chorus]
Moonlight mana, we rise, we ride
Ocean in my lungs, island in my stride
Owls on the ridge keep watch at night
Venom in the drum when we call that fight
Moonlight mana, we rise, we ride
Tattooed stories that the stars can’t hide
From the first war cry to the dawn’s first light
This is Polynesia, this is how we bite
[Verse 2]
Sunset fire, sky burn mango and wine
Canoes cut gold right along that line
Grandma on the shore with a shell in her hand
Say a word, blow once, whole clan gon’ stand
Owls in the ironwood, eyes glow low
They’ve seen kings fall, they’ve seen crops grow
I move with the ghosts that the strangers fear
You hear one stomp, know the whole crew near (hey!)
[Bridge]
Right foot, left foot, sand take shape
Drums talk thick like a coiled-up snake
Sweet lei scent but the heart run wild
War face paint on a gentle child
[low vocal register] Chant in the dark, let the old gods guide
[crescendo] Voice to the sky: we don’t run, we ride
[Chorus]