Island in my Bones

Hooo—!

Stomp, stomp—clap. Stomp, stomp—clap.

Talofa, aiga—hear the sea inside my chest!

Hey! Hey!

I wake with the tide marks carved in my skin,

tatau telling stories the wind remembers.

Salt on my breath, storm in my grin—

I am the spear of the reef and the ember.

Totems at my heel, I plant them and pray,

earth for the bones, water for sway,

air for the breath, fire for the day—

ancestors drum in my veins when I say—

Fa‘amalosi—be strong, I carry my home.

Every step that I take shakes basalt and foam.

Hear the thunder I call with a word and a tone—

I am the cliff and the crown of the combers.

I am the island in my bones,

the shark-blue current in my soul.

When I chant, the skies roll open,

when I strike, the lava flows.

I am the island—stand or run,

my hook drags down the midnight sun.

For my people, for my oath—

I am the island in my bones.

Riki—shi! Riki—shi!

I’ve tasted the void—bitter, black rain,

but it broke on my neck like a wave on a breaker.

Ula fala bright, keeping night on its chain,

I’m a tide that returns, a promise that’s maker.

I carry my village wherever I roam,

canoe in the heart, stars mapping me home.

With the Finest I sail, but I walk never alone—

every chant threads a path through the foam.

Fa‘atasi—together, our breath becomes flame,

I shoulder the storm and I answer my name.

Let the darkness assemble—remember the claim:

I am the reef it will shatter upon.

I am the island in my bones,

the shark-blue current in my soul.

When I chant, the skies roll open,

when I strike, the lava flows.

I am the island—stand or run,

my hook drags down the midnight sun.

For my people, for my oath—

I am the island in my bones.

---

(Stamp!) Matagi! — I take the wind!

(Stamp!) Afi! — I bear the flame!

(Stamp!) Vai! — I drink the wave!

(Stamp!) Ele‘ele! — I guard the plain!

Chest to the drum, feet to the stone,

I boom like surf on weathered throne.

Toa! Warrior heart, never alone—

My ancestors rise when I intone:

I: Who owns the night?

All: We own the night!

I: Who guards the light?

All: We guard the light!

I: Who stands the line when shadows bite?

All: We stand, we bite, we fight the night!

---

Hook of bone, curve of moon,

reel the storm to end its tune.

If you come to take my shore,

know my roar—

it’s oars on fire and a thousand more.

---

I am the island in my bones,

the drumline carved in ancient stone.

When I chant, the skies roll open,

when I strike, the lava flows.

I am the island—storm and sun,

a tidal vow that won’t be undone.

For my people, for my oath—

I am the island in my bones.

(Soft) Fa‘afetai, elders—guide me home…

Stomp, stomp—clap.

Riki—shi… Riki—shi…

Low drums roll—breath like a conch in my throat,

Talofa—lava glows where my forefathers wrote.

Tatau = star chart; every line is a route,

Old ghosts in the ink, show the way when I’m out.

Ula fala bright—keep the night on a leash,

I’m a reef wall—shadows break when they reach.

Matagi in my chest, ele‘ele in my stance,

Vai in my flow, afi rise when I dance.

Fa‘amalosi—be strong; fa‘atasi—we bind,

I carry my aiga in the curve of my spine.

Hook of bone, crescent moon—thread it through stone,

Say my name to the tide: I’m the island in my bones.

I am the island in my bones,

the drumline carved in ancient stone.

When I chant, the skies roll open,

when I strike, the lava flows.

I am the island—storm and sun,

a tidal vow that won’t be undone.

For my people, for my oath—

I am the island in my bones.

(Soft) Fa‘afetai, elders—guide me home…

Stomp, stomp—clap.

Riki—shi… Riki—shi…

I am the island in my bones,

the drumline carved in ancient stone.

When I chant, the skies roll open,

when I strike, the lava flows.

I am the island—storm and sun,

a tidal vow that won’t be undone.

For my people, for my oath—

I am the island in my bones.

I am the island in my bones,

the drumline carved in ancient stone.

When I chant, the skies roll open,

when I strike, the lava flows.

I am the island—storm and sun,

a tidal vow that won’t be undone.

For my people, for my oath—

I am the island in my bones.

Outro – Conch / Fading War-Choir

(Soft) Fa‘afetai, elders—guide me home…

Stomp, stomp—clap.

Riki—shi… Riki—shi…

Outro – Conch / Fading War-Choir

(Soft) Fa‘afetai, elders—guide me home…

Stomp, stomp—clap.

Riki—shi… Riki—shi…