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T​ō​tara

by Aro

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about

“Kua hinga he tōtara i te wao nui a Tāne”
“A great tree has fallen in the great forest of Tāne”

‘Tōtara’, originally taking its inspiration from the above whakatauki, has become a song of aroha, grief and remembrance - a song of aroha for those significant and special people, who are no longer with us.

lyrics

Tōtara


Ko tō mahana

Me he kāuta

He wahine aumiti tāngata

Me he pōike 

pūkeke

He kōhanga mo tēnei pīpī e…

E…te tōtara

Haemata

Ka mau tonu ki tō aroha

Ko wai ka tohu

Tō hinga i te mumu

I te wao nui a Tāne



Kua hinga he tōtara i tēnei wao

Puhake te aroha

Riringi noa ngā roimata

He awa e rere

Ki to taha hei kawe

I tō waka Tōtara




Tōtara - a translation



Your warmth

Is like the kitchen/home fire

You were a warm and welcoming woman

Like the top

Of a strong/unyielding/steadfast tree

You were a safe place where I could build my nest

Tōtara

Who was so vigorous

We will always have your love

Who could tell/say

That boisterous winds would beat you

In Tāne’s great forest



A great tree has fallen 

Love overflows

Into tears falling down

A river that flows

To where you are

To carry your waka Tōtara

credits

released February 23, 2024
Music by Aro, Charles & Emily Looker
Mātanga Reo - Te Kuru Dewes
Recorded & Produced by Vivek Gabriel at Gabriel Audio

Strings - Gin Papali'i
Drums & percussion - Aaron Clarke
Bass - Chip Matthews
Pounui - Warren Maxwell
Electric Guitar - Abraham Kunin
Acoustic Guitar - Charles Looker
PIano/keys - Eli Moore, Emily Looker
Sound textures - Vivek Gabriel

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all rights reserved

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about

Aro New Zealand

Blending Emily's honey-voiced jazz with Charles' full throated percussive sound with shades of haka, Aro's storytelling performance adds up to a warmth of experience, wholly original, anchored in Aotearoa New Zealand.

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