Kuʻu Lei Kiele ( My Gardenia Lei) - Words by Vicki IʻI Rodrigues Music by Maddy K. Lam
 

Aia i ke kaona kuʻu lei kiele
Kui ʻia e ka ua Kūkalahale
 
I lei hoʻohie no nei kino
Linohau ka wahine me ka hiehie
 
Nohea ke ʻala ma kuʻu poli
He nani mae ʻole kau i ka lā
 
Ahiahi nâ pua i ka wēkiu
Koe mai ko ʻala la he aloha
 
Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana
Lei aloha lei kiele kau i ka hano
My dearest gardenia is in town
Being strung by the Kūkalahale rain
 
An elegant lei for this person
The lady is beautifully dressed and adorned
 
The fragrance is delightful at my bosom
A beauty unfading even in the sun
 
The blossoms spend the evening in the heights
The fragrance remains, a beloved
 
Tell the refrain
Beloved lei, gardenia lei set in glory


Source: Pamai Tenn & Vick Iʻi Collection - Recorded by Tony C.
"O Ka Wä I Hala" CD © 1948 Criterion Music Corp