‘Alekoki Ukulele Chords – Charles E. King. This song uses the chords: C, C7, F, D7, G7. You can change the key for free, as needed.
‘Alekoki Ukulele Chords – William Charles Lunalilo
ʻAʻCole i piliwi ʻiC7a
FKahi wai aʻo ʻAleCkoki
Ua hoʻokohu ka ua i D7uka
G7Noho maila i NuʻuCanu
CAnuanu makehewa C7au
FKe kali ʻana i Claila
Kai nō paha ua D7paʻa
G7Kou manaʻo i ʻanCeʻi
I ʻCō i ʻaneʻi C7au
FKa piʻina aʻo MaʻeCmaʻe
He ʻala onaona D7kou
G7Ka i hiki mai i ʻaCneʻi
Ua Cmalu nēia C7kino
FMa muli aʻo kou Cleo
Kau nui aku ka maD7naʻo
G7Kahi wai aʻo KaCpena
CPania paʻa ʻia C7mai
FNā mana wai aʻo Cuka
Ma luna aʻe nō D7au
G7Ma nā lumi liʻilCiʻi
Ma Cwaho aʻo MāC7mala
FHao mai nei ehCuehu
Pulu au i ka hunaD7kai
G7Kai heʻaheʻa i ka ʻiCli
CHoʻokahi nō koa C7nui
FNāna e ʻalo ia ʻiCno
ʻInoʻino mai nei D7luna
G7I ka hao a ka maCkani
CE kilohi au i ka C7nani
FNā pua o MaunaʻCala
Haʻina mai ka puD7ana
G7Kahi wai aʻo ʻAleCkoki
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“‘ Alekoki” History:
The Hawaiian song “ʻAlekoki” is one of the classic mele (songs/chants) associated with the royal era of Hawaiʻi. Although you asked about Charles E. King, he is best known for arranging, preserving, and publishing the song rather than composing it himself. In his famous 1916 collection King’s Book of Hawaiian Melodies, he credited “ʻAlekoki” as an older royal Hawaiian composition that he arranged for publication.
The song is traditionally attributed to William Charles Lunalilo — who later became King Lunalilo of Hawaiʻi — and dates to around the mid-1800s. Some later traditions attributed it to Kalākaua, but most Hawaiian scholars today favor Lunalilo as the original composer.
What does “ʻAlekoki” mean?
ʻAlekoki was the name of a famous pool in Nuʻuanu Valley on Oʻahu, near Kapena Falls. The place itself became symbolic in Hawaiian poetry and romance.
The song is essentially a lover’s lament. According to oral tradition, Lunalilo wrote it after a painful romantic disappointment involving Princess Victoria Kamāmalu. The two were supposedly expected to marry, but political and family pressures prevented the relationship from succeeding.
The emotional world of the song
Like many great Hawaiian mele, “ʻAlekoki” works on several levels at once:
- On the surface, it sounds graceful and flowing, often performed as a lovely hula song.
- Underneath, it carries heartbreak, longing, frustration, and political tension.
- Hawaiian poetic imagery — rain, wind, pools, mountains, and sea spray — symbolizes emotional states and social conflict.
The imagery of blocked streams and stormy weather reflects the singer’s emotional turmoil and the interference that kept the lovers apart.
One of the remarkable things about Hawaiian poetry is how place names carry emotional meaning. Nuʻuanu, Māmala, Kapena, and Maunaʻala are not just locations — they function almost like emotional landmarks inside the story.
Charles E. King’s role
Charles E. King was enormously important in preserving Hawaiian music during the early 20th century. He collected and arranged traditional mele for piano and voice, helping many songs survive into the modern era. His published arrangement of “ʻAlekoki” became one of the standard versions known by later musicians and hula performers. (CiNii)
Musical style
Modern performances of “ʻAlekoki” are usually gentle and melodic, often featuring:
- steel guitar
- ukulele
- slack-key guitar
- soft vocal harmonies
The song has been recorded by many Hawaiian artists over the decades, and different versions may emphasize either:
- the sweet romantic hula feeling, or
- the deeper melancholy and royal history behind the lyrics.
Here’s something fascinating: many casual listeners hear “ʻAlekoki” as a cheerful Hawaiian standard, but scholars of Hawaiian music point out that the original text is much darker and more emotionally complex than the shortened tourist-era versions that became popular in the 20th century.
