(Verse 1) We rose from fire, salt, and stone, Kamehameha claimed a throne, A lei of islands bound by might, In shadows cast by foreign light. We forged a state, we stood our ground, In oceans deep where kings are crowned. But every step toward being free Was chained to empire’s scrutiny. (Chorus) Oh, we built a house inside the storm, To shield our ʻāina, keep it warm. But in the walls we carved their law, And in our bones, we bore their claw. We wore their suits to earn respect, Yet lost the ways we once protected. Ea, still calling from the sea— But now she cries: “What price for me?” (Verse 2) The Māhele came, the land was split, A map, a deed, a foreign writ. From konohiki to paper kings, The ‘āina wept beneath their things. The makaʻāinana stood aside, As chiefs and haole claimed the tide. We thought that fee would make us whole, But sold the soil, and sold our soul. (Chorus) Oh, we built a house inside the storm, To shield our ʻāina, keep it warm. But in the walls we carved their law, And in our bones, we bore their claw. We wore their suits to earn respect, Yet lost the ways we once protected. Ea, still calling from the sea— But now she cries: “What price for me?” (Bridge) Where were the wahine aliʻi then, When laws erased their voice again? From sacred love to Christian code, Our mo‘olelo overwritten, old. And though we ruled in native tongue, We spoke in ways not truly sung— As if our mana could survive By caging it to stay alive. (Verse 3) Now some still wave the royal flag, In golden threads, the past they drag. But do they see beneath the crown The ways we were already bound? To be a nation, we conformed, And in that shape, we were deformed. The mirror showed a modern face— But not our gods, not our grace. (Final Chorus) Oh, we built a house inside the storm, To guard our names, to keep us warm. But every wall was lined with cost, A sovereignty both gained and lost. Still ea whispers from the waves— Not in crowns, but in the graves. We are the storm, we are the sea— We are the ones who will break free. (Outro) (Ua hala nā ao ʻeha... E hoʻi i ka hā o ka ʻāina... Ea mai, ea mai—mai lalo mai.)
