NEW  ZEALAND
FOLK * SONG
Anei Rā Te Whānau
He used to give me roses...

Wiremu and Jossie Kaa c. 1980

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This is widely sung in New Zealand prisons and drug rehab centres.
It is based on this theme song of the 1980 TV drama, "Prisoner."
Similar Te Reo songs using the tune are E Tū Tautoko Noa and
Tipu Ra Nga Uri
, plus a Christian hymn  I Was Once A Sinner.
Information about Nanny Jossie and Koro Willie can be found here.




1. Anei rā te whānau
O te whare oranga
E tu tahi tātou
Kia kaha rā
Here is the family
of the healing house;
we will stand as one
so that we become strong.
Chorus
    Ka nui te aroha
    Mō nga mamae nui e, aue
    Ma te whakapono tatou
    E whiwhi oranga

There is great sympathy
for the intense pain here, aue
but we believe
we will regain our health.
2. Kaua e mataku
He rangatira koe
Hapaitia te mauri
Me te wairua
Do not be afraid.
You are of noble stock
Your life force will be lifted up
by your spirit.


Capo on 2nd fret
G Anei rā te Am whānau D7
O te whare ora-G-nga Em
E tu tahi Am tātou D7
Kia kaha G
Chorus
    Ka nui te C7 aroha D7
    Mō nga mamae nui Bm e, au-E-e
    Ma te wha-Am-ka-pono D7 tatou
    E whiwhi ora-G-nga



E Tū Tautoko Noa
Ngoi Pewhairangi 1985

Ngoi used the same "Prisoner" theme tune when she wrote this waiata for her Tokomaru Bay whanua who had gone to find work far away in Southland.



1.  E tū tautoko noa
Ngā tumanako e
A te ngākau māhaki
Te hautū ake nei
Our unreserved support will raise
the hopes
of the meek of heart
seeking (?) leadership here
  Chorus
    Karanga mai mihi mai
    Ki a mātou katoa e
    Te whānau kua eke nei
    Tō reo karanga e !

Call out and seek support
from all of us.
The family is starting its journey here.
Let your voice cry out !
2. Kua honohia nei e
Tātou i tēnei rā
I runga i te aroha
Te rangimārie
  Chorus
Grouped together
are all of us here
to be lifted up in love
and peace.

3. Kua ngaro ngā mōrehu
Tū mokemoke noa
Ngā waihotanga rā e
A rātou katoa.
  Chorus
You were the survivors, unnoticed
Standing totally alone
Neglected
by all the others.

Te whānau kua eke nei
Tō reo karanga e.....

Tō reo karanga e........
This family is starting its journey.
Let your voice cry out......

Let your voice cry out......

This waiata-ā-ringa was composed for the opening of the new dining room at Mataura freezing works in the South Island in the mid-1980s.

After the Tokomaru Bay freezing works closed, many of Ngoi's hapu, Te Whānau-a-Ruataupare, migrated south to the freezing works down there, and they settled in Mataura, Bluff and Invercargill.

Ngoi composed this waiata while having lunch in the kitchen during a hui at her marae, Pākirikiri. It was one of the last compositions she wrote before her death in 1985.


Tipu Ra Nga Uri
Unknown c.1986

This is also sung to the theme tune of "Prisoner."  I don't know anything else about this song. Can anyone tell me who wrote it? Its good advice suggests it could have been written by a principal of St Joes, Hukurere, or Turakina Maori girl's colleges.

1. Tipu ra nga uri
I roto i tenei ao.
Te ao huri huri 
Kia tupato ra...
Young people grow up
in the middle of this world.
It’s an overwhelming world
so be vigilant there...
 ...kei te hotu o te manawa
    Nga roimata maringi
    Mo te tamahine
    Ko puawai i a koe.

...due to the throbbing of the heart
and the tears that fall
as happens to a young woman
when there are flowers for you.

2. Kimihia te ora
He mana mohau e
Kia kaha tonu
Ki to haerenga...
To find life,
there is huge (?) mana
in staying strong
on your journey...
 ...kei te hotu te manawa
    Nga roimata maringi
    Mo te tamahine
    Ko puawai i a koe
...due to the throbbing of the heart
and the tears that fall
as happens to a young woman
when there are flowers for you.



I Was Once A Sinner
Unknown

This Christian hymn is also sung to the theme tune of "Prisoner." 

I was once a sinner, so lonely and so sad
I was oh so miserable, a broken heart I had

One day I met my savior, He said "Come unto me,"
And now I’m not so lonely, because He first loved me.
Chorus
     My Jesus is all to me, He is my lord and king,
    I’ll always trust and serve him, He is my everything.



He Used To Give Me Roses

This was the theme song for Prisoner:Cell Block H, which screened on Australian TV for nearly 700 episodes between February 1979 and December 1986.

He used to give me roses, I wish he could again;
But that was on the outside, and things were different then.

We'd built our world together, with a love so clear and strong;
But that was on the outside: where did I go wrong?

     On the inside the sun still shines, and the rain falls down;
     But the sun and rain are prisoners too, when morning comes around.

Last night I dreamed we were together, sharing all the love we've known;
Til I had to face the nightmare, of waking up alone.

     On the inside the sun still shines, and the rain falls down;
     But the sun and rain are prisoners too, when morning comes around.

     On the inside the roses grow; they don't mind the stoney ground;
     But the roses here are prisoners too, when morning comes around.

He used to give me roses, I wish he could again;
But that was on the outside, and things were different then.



Jossie and Wiremu Kaa

Jossie Mateohorere is the daughter of Maria (Goldsmith) and Hone Green of Waipiro Bay. She was educated at Rangitukia Primary School, St Joseph’s Māori Girls College, Wellington Teachers’ College and Victoria University of Wellington. She taught in several country schools and was an Itinerant Teacher of Māori language.

In 1958 she married Wiremu Kaa. They have a family of three boys, two girls, nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She became interested in writing as a result of seeing the need for Māori picture books in schools during her time as an itinerant teacher.

Papa Willie Kaa was born at Rangitukia on the East Coast in 1935. After graduating from Ardmore Teacher Training College in Auckland and teaching at a number of schools, he became the Principal of the school he attended as a child, Rangitukia School, now called TKKM o Taperenui a Wha­tonga.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Papa Wiremu became a key figure in the es­tablishment of the Māori curriculum at the Ministry of Education, and was responsible for Māori and Pacific Island education policy and practice.

During this period, Papa Wiremu and wife Jossie were part of the emerging Maori Language revi­talisation movement, and began editing historical texts written in Te Reo Maori, and creating language resources for tamariki and adult learners.

In 2016 Papa Wiremu received an honorary Doctorate from the World Indigenous Nations University.


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