Ka Hoʻopaʻi O Ka Nalo ʻEuʻeu (Getting the Pesky Fly) - Words and music by Johnny Lum Ho

He mele kēia no ka nalo ʻeuʻeu
Hoʻouluhua nō wau

Ua hili ʻo Lei i ka nalo
Ma ka lumi kuke o ka hale
Nui kona leʻaleʻa
A piha hauʻoli hoʻi ʻo ia

Paʻipaʻi i luna, kīʻapu i ka lima
Ka nalo ʻeuʻeu ua buzz mai nei

Hili me ka hauʻoli
Kilokilo i nā nalo
ʻAʻohe nalo i ka hale
Huli i wahi hou

Koala i ke ahiahi a hui ka nalo
No ke ʻala o ka ʻiʻo pipi
Kīhae ka lāʻī kāhilihili
Inā hoʻi mai, a pani i ka puka

Nalo, uh, uh, uh, uh, fly, uh, uh, uh, uh
A e lele ka nalo i luna,
I lalo i ʻō i ʻaneʻi ē
Fly, uh, uh, uh, uh

Ua hili ʻo Lei i ka nalo
Ma ka lumi kuke o ka hale
Nui kona leʻaleʻa
A piha hau`oli hoʻi ʻo ia

Ua haʻi ka mele o Lei
Me ka hili ʻana o nā nalo
ʻEhehē, ʻehehē
Inā hoʻi mai, pani i ka puka

This is a song about the rascal fly
That vexed me to no end

Lei swatted the fly
In the kitchen of her home
What great joy it (the fly) seemed to have
As if it were filled with merriment

Swat, swat above using the cup of the hand
But the fly buzzes on by

Swat with merriment
First watch the fly carefully
There's no fly in the house
It's gone somewhere else

During the evening the flies congregate
Having smelled the aroma of roasted beef
Strip the ti-leaf to hush them
And if you come in, close the door

Fly, no, no, no, no, fly, no, no, no, no
The fly takes off, going up
Going down, going there, coming here
Fly, no, no, no, no

Lei swatted the fly
In the kitchen of her home
What great joy it (the fly) seemed to have
As if it were filled with merriment

Lei's story is told
About the swatting of the pesky fly
La, la, la
And if you come in, close the door

Source: H. Stender Collection