Happy Holidays from Hawaiian Airlines - Mele Kalikimaka Ei Nei

Share the spirit of the holidays with your friends & family with this song from the Hawaiian Airlines Serenaders!

Mele Kalikimaka Ei Nei courtesy of Mountain Apple Company & The Brothers Cazimero

[testbild]

I'd love to be able to play this on the ukulele. Is this an original song or a standard Hawaiian Christmas song. Unfortunately I do not understand all the lyrics. Can anyone help?

[sumpancakes]

We're doing this song for Christmas Concert. But we're singing im Eb(E flat)

[nightskyatdawn]

I see that most singers pronounce Mele as Meleh. Why is it Meleh? It should be Melly, based on this reasoning: Yes, the Hawaiian word "Mele" (prounounced mehleh) means song. But the Mele in Mele Kalikimaka is not that word. It is a Hawaiian's attempt to say the English word "Merry". But since there is no "r" in the Hawaiian alphabet, Hawaiians substitute an "L". This changes the "r" in Merry to an "L", making "Merry" become "Melly". There is no reason to modify the final sound of the "y" to "ay". Therefore, based on this reasoning, it is more correct to say "Melly Kalikimaka"