THE HULA HULA BOYS

Written and performed by Warren Zevon
From _The Envoy_, Asylum Records, 1982

Notes (from _I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: An Anthology_):

"Written on another vacation in the islands, this time Maui.  The chorus,
'Ha'ina i'a mai ana ka puana' is an idiom which means 'Sing the chorus' or
'Get to the point.'  No one could pronounce the Hawaiian but my son Jordan
(who was 13 at the time), so Waddy and I had him sing all the background
parts. Hunter Thompson quoted the lyrics in his book _The Curse of Lono_."
                                  -Warren Zevon


I've taken the lyrics directly from the _I'll Sleep..._ booklet, as well
as the quote, and they differ on the second word of the chorus
(apparently, it's either "'ia" or "i'a").  I don't want to be too
particular, but since I know absolutely no Hawaiian, they might mean
something completely different. Anyway, I make no claims to the accuracy
of the transcription, but it sounds right to me.  Thanks for checking it
out.  --Jeff Voris


C G D G (2x)

    C                 G
I saw her leave the luau

          D                   G
with the one who parked the cars

         C                 G
and the fat one from the swimming pool,

             D            G
they were swaying arm in arm.

         C             G
I could hear their ukeleles playing

  D           G
down by the sea.

        C               G
She's gone with the hula hula boys,

 D                   G
she don't care about me.

        C               G
She's gone with the hula hula boys,

 D                   G
she don't care about me.



They're singing:
 C              G
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

 D              G
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

 C              G
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

 D              G
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana



C G D G (4x)



 C              G
Yesterday she went to see 

      D          G
the Polynesian band,

         C                 G
but she came home with her hair all wet

          D                       G  
and her clothes all filled with sand.

    C                     G
I didn't have to come to Maui

        D             G
to be treated like a jerk.

 C                   G
How do you think I feel

        D                 G
when I see the bellboys smirk?

           C             G
And I can hear their ukeleles playing

 D           G
down by the sea.

        C               G
She's gone with the hula hula boys,

 D                   G
she don't care about me.



They're singing:
 C              G
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

 D              G
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

 C              G
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana

 D              G
Ha'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana



(fade out)