Kāpu! Kāpu!
Mecha Kumu - Kāpu! Kāpu! [Sampled intro – dusty boom-bap loop] [DJ scratch] “Kāpu! Kāpu!” [Whispered voice] “Sacred—no step ova dat line…” 'Pale no ka MANA—barrier fo’ da power!” "If break, brah” “Lose mana, lose life—soul slip, land cry!” kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] [VERSE 1 ] Kapu—dat sacred label: “hands off, danger cable,” Spiritual circuit breaker, keep da cosmic current stable. Safeguard mana, da unseen plasma— Wen da veil get thin, kapu seal da chasm. Like pad-lock clasp on a volcano vent, Contain da glow so da flow stay benevolent. ʻO ka kapu ka paia, ka paʻa o ke ao, Wall round da sacred, keep chaos below. kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] [VERSE 2] Mana flash quick—one flick spark a tidal shift, Flip crops brown, quake ground, flip kingdoms swift. So kapu stay tight like reef knots round da heart, Any slack in da lashing an’ da island fall apart. Rules heavy? Heavy ‘cause da danger stay real: Same reason nukes locked, same reason sharks no meal. Kapu no prison, braddah, kapu stay prism, Bend blinding power into life-giving rhythm. kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] [VERSE 3] He ʻai kapu i ke ao, kāne a me nā wahineh, Kāne ʻai puaʻa, wahineh ʻai ʻai ʻē—kuleana ke ʻano hune. ʻO ka kapu moe, kuli ʻoe i kuʻu alo, Inā kū aʻe kou poʻo—hala ʻia, makeh pono! Puloʻuloʻu i ka makani, hōʻailona o ka heiau, Palena paʻa i ke aliʻi, e kū ai ka mālama ʻaoʻao. "Men/women eat apart, prostrate when chief pass, breach means fast death…" kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] [VERSE 4] Not all veins blaze wit’ identical voltage— Mana trickle down ranks like high-pressure dosage. Aliʻi born piʻo, flame stoked genetic, Commoner called noa, basic, phonetic. Chiefs: stricter kapu moe, gotta travel by night, ‘Cause normal folks would drop flat, overpowered by sight. Piʻo siblings wed? That ahi-tabu breed— Children glow red-hot, dynastic mana seed. Examples? • ʻAi Kapu: wahineh skip pork—no pig for da ladies. • Kapu Moe: lie low or you die, quick like rabies. • Puʻuhonua exception: sanctuary zone, Break small kapu, run there—chance for atone. kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] [VERSE 5] Bust kapu, first bust yo’ own mana meter, Like pokin’ holes in plug-in heater—power bleeder. Community catch da backwash, crop fail, surf stale, Storm sail in, land ail, even gods might bail. Ilamuku blade swing—physical fee, But worse, spirit shrink, reputation debris. Ancestors turn back, genealogy crack, No afterlife welcome mat—straight spiritual black (out.) [BRIDGE ] “ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia…” "No task too big when all pitch in" kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] [VERSE 6 ] Kapa barkcloth wrapped on sacred staff, white crackle, Signal: kapu in effect—trespass? heavy shackle. Heiau drum pulse coordinate mana surge, High priests chant long, keep raw force purge. Kapu used too in rites of passage— Seclusion binds keiki til adulthood package. Remove kapu = noa moment—doorway switch, From boy to man, from night to dawn’s first glitch. kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] [VERSE 7] Kahuna ho‘ounauna twist mana malicious, Send sickness missile—kapu-breaking business. Dark art cross wires, overload system, Balance goes off-grid, whole village become victim. Thus kapu stand courtroom, judge invisibility, Sentence: sorcerer meet divine liability. kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] “Sacred—no step ova dat line…” 'Pale no ka MANA—barrier fo’ da power!” "If break, brah” “Lose mana, lose life—soul slip, land cry!” kapu clasp / cosmic current / circuit / serpent turning, mana burning… [Repeat] [Fade Out]
