Ka Māmakakaua - by Palani Vaughn
Ua ala a kūʻe! Kūʻe! Kūʻe! Ka māmakakaua hanohano! Kūʻe! Ua ala a kūʻe! Kūʻe! Kūʻe! Ka mâmakakaua Loialiki! Kūʻe! Kūʻe! Kūʻe! Ka māmakakaua! (Nā Loialiki koa)! Kipū Lani! (Ka māmakakaua)! Ka māmakakaua! (Kūpaʻa mahope)! Kūpaʻa mahope! (O ka ʻāina)! Ua ala a kūʻe! Kūʻe! Ka pūkaua koa! (ʻO Wilikoki wiwoʻole)! Me Lopaka Poe! (A me nā koa Loialiki)! Ka māmakakaua! (I hōʻikaika hoʻi)! E hoʻihoʻi i nā pono! (O Kalākaua)! Nā Loialiki! Kūʻe! Kūʻe! Ka māmakakaua! (Me nā pālule ʻula)! Maloko a ka pā! (O Hale Aliʻi ʻIolani)! Ka māmakakaua! (I paio wiwoʻole)! Kūʻe i ka ʻenemi! (O Ka Mōʻi)! I ke aupuni hoʻohuli! Ka māmakakaua! (ʻOiai ua pohō)! Kūʻe i ka ʻenemi! (O ka lāhui o Hawaiʻi)! Ka māmakakaua! (ʻAʻole poina ʻia)! ʻAʻole poina ʻia! (No ko lākou wiwoʻole)! Aloha no nā Loialiki e! Hui: Ua ala a kūʻe! (Ka māmakakaua)! Kipū Lani e! (Nā Loialiki koa)! Kūpaʻa mahope o ka ʻāina! Aloha ʻāina hoʻi e! Aloha ʻāina hoʻi e!	They arose and revolted! Revolted! Revolted! That glorious company of warriors! Revolted! They arose and revolted! Revolted! Revolted! The Loyalist company of warriors! Revolted! Revolted! Revolted The company of warriors! Courageous Loyalists! Loyal to the chief! The company of warriors! The company of warriors! Standing firmly behind! Standing firmly behind! The land! They arose and revolted! Revolted! The brave war leader! Fearless Robert Wilcox! With Robert Boyd! And the Loyalist warriors! The company of warriors! Strove, indeed! To restore the rights of Kalākaua The Loyalists! Revolted! Revolted! The company of warriors! With red shirts Inside the grounds! Of ʻIolani Palace! The company of warriors! Who fought bravely! Against the enemy of the King! Against the revolutionary government! The company of warriors! Though they failed Against the enemy! Of the Hawaiian nation! The company of warriors! Not forgotten! Not forgotten! For their bravery! Great love for the Loyalists! Chorus: They arose and revolted! The company of warriors! Loyal to the King! The brave Loyalists! Standing firmly behind the land! Patriots, indeed! Patriots, indeed!
Source: CD "Palani Vaughn's Best Vol.1"- July 6, 1887, the revolutionary Hawaiian League with an army of 500 haole sharpshooters called the Honolulu Rifles, forced King Kalâkaua to sign a revised version of the Hawaiian Constitution, known infamously as the Bayonet Constitution. This curtailed the power of the throne and made other changes which adversely affected the Hawaiian people, primarily, the right to vote in elections. The morning of June 30, 1889, approximately 80 part-Hawaiian warriors, tried to take possession of `Iolani Palace. Armed with 35 rifles, some farmer rice bird guns and a few pistols, they were led by Robert Kalanihiapo Wilcox, Robert N. Boyd and George Markham. The māmakakaua or company of warriors wamted to restore the rights and powers of their King. Auwē, they were defeated. The composer expresses the sentiment of the Hawaiian people as he pays tribute to the memory of those courageous red-shirted warriors who marched on ʻIolani Palace to defend their King against his enemies in the Hawaiian League.