This past weekend, our Saturday evening practice group got to look at our refreshed song list for 2024. I voted for this one and everyone was down to transcribe it! Also, a reader had requested this song a few weeks back when we were refreshing our song list for the praktika, so it was perfect timing. Here are Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for Tuhu I Lago’-hu by the Guam Sirenas. Happy listening!
| Chamoru | English |
|---|---|
| Tuhu i lago’-hu annai måtto i tiempo-mu pon hånao | My tears fell when the time came for you to leave |
| Pues un chiku i labios-hu ya un sångan na bai nangga’ hao | Then you kissed my lips and you told me I will wait for you |
| Hu prumeti hao bai fannangga lao ni1 guahu desde på’go2 ti hu tungo’ | I promised you that I will wait, but even me, so far up until now, I don’t know |
| Kao humånao hao an fañodda’ pat magåhet nai na guahu mås ya-mu? | Did you go and find someone else, or am I really the one you like the most? |
| Malago’ ha’3 yu’ mannangga, lao håfa yu’ bai cho’gue an ti un bira hao?4 | I do want to wait, but what will I do if you don’t come back? |
| Konsidera enao an ti puti hao, pues hasso yu’, sa’ guahu mamamahlao | Consider that if you are not hurt, then remember me because I will be the one who is embarrassed |
| Maolekña na ta båsta yan magåhet guinaiyå-ta ta hita ha’ ta’lo | It’s better that we stop, and if our love is true, we will be together again |
| Pues ta ágote’ para todu i mamaila’ na tiempo | Then we will hold onto each other for all the time that is coming |
| Pues atan este på’go: i gaige hao gi lågu yan guahu guini | Then look at this now: you are overseas and I am the one who is here |
| Desde ki tumaigue’ hao, esta ha’ osson yu’ mangguife | Ever since you went away, I am already tired of dreaming |
| Ti u taiguini nai mohon este, yanggen ta na’påra ha’ guihi | It would not be this way, if we just stopped it there |
| Pues maolekña na ta båsta ki ta sigi ha’ umádagi | Then it’s better that we stop than to keep lying to each other |
| Maolekña na ta båsta sa’ magåhet guinaiyå-ta ta hita ha’ ta’lo | It’s better that we stop, and if our love is true, we will be together again |
| Pues ta ágote’ para todu i mamaila’ na tiempo | Then we will hold onto each other for all the time that is coming |
| Pues atan este på’go: i gaige hao gi lågu yan guahu guini | Then look at this now: you are overseas and I am the one who is here |
| Desde ki tumaigue’ hao esta ha’ osson yu’ mangguife | Ever since you went away, I am already tired of dreaming |
| Malago’ ha’ yu’ mannangga, lao håfa yu’ bai cho’gue an ti un bira hao? | I do want to wait, but what will I do if you don’t come back? |
| Konsidera enao an ti puti hao, pues hasso yu’, sa’ guahu mamamahlao | Consider that if you are not hurt, then remember me because I will be the one who is embarrassed |
| Maolekña na ta båsta yan magåhet guinaiyå-ta ta hita ha’ ta’lo | It’s better that we stop, and if our love is true, we will be together again |
| Pues ta ágote’ para todu i mamaila’ na tiempo | Then we will hold onto each other for all the time that is coming |
| Pues ta ágote’ para todu i mamaila’ na tiempo | Then we will hold onto each other for all the time that is coming |
Notes
1 ni: So in our practice group we all heard different things. Some people heard ni, some people heard ti and others heard umbe. I’m going with ni in my translation, but if you hear differently please let me know! (back to top)
2 desde på’go: Technically, this phrase means “from now” or “from now on.” But many speakers and singers actually say this to mean “up until now.” Jay was saying it’s probably a difference by village. His family is from Hågat and they use this to mean “up until now”, but his step-dad is from Inaråhån and he will always correct his mom and say “You mean asta på’go!” 🙂 (back to top)
3 ha’: This word is used as an intensifier, and how we use it or interpret it depends upon the context. As pointed out in the comments, in this situation when it follows the verb, it is better interpreted as “do,” as in “I do want to wait, but…”
4 ti un bira hao: This literally means “you will not turn yourself” but in this context it means “you will not come back” or “you will not turn back.” In the comments, it was pointed out that this is known as the reflexive in Chamorro, and is what we use when we want to talk about someone returning. We can also use this in other sentence structures too, and some good examples were given in the comments like Hu muebi yu’ para Texas = I moved (myself) to Texas. (back to top)
Lengguahi-ta 
The third line/verse, I hear ni, so if “desde på’go” is being used as “up to now” then I hear “even I, so far (up to now), don’t know”. But they also could be using it as how it was intended…when I say “desde pa’go”…it’s usually when I say “desde pa’go para mo’na”, from now on…but I think I also sometimes say “desde pa’go” to mean “from now” as in “as of now”. But yes, if it’s “up to now” or “so far”, I also say “asta på’go”…asta på’go ti manmunhahayan…up to now, they haven’t finished.
The verse with “ti un bira hao”…The first part of the English translation, you put “I just want to wait”, and I think you understood it this way because of how ha’ is used in other instances. Remember that HA’ is an intensifier so with quantity it does seem like it translates to JUST or ONLY, but that’s only because that’s how you really emphasize that in English. Unu ha’…ONLY one, JUST one. But when you use HA’ after verbs like in the verse…”Malago’ ha’ yu’ mannangga, lao”…this translates to “I do want to wait, but…” Other examples: Hunggan, chumochu ha’ yu’….Yes, I did eat. Ya-hu ha’ i sapåtos, låo mampos guaguan. I do like the shoes, but they’re too expensive. And again, ha’ here doesn’t mean do/did, but it performs the same function. Do and did are added before the verb in English for emphasis.
Lastly, in response to your “ti un bira hao” lol when we want to express a “return”, we use the reflexive in Chamorro. We say that one turns themself (back)…Ngai’an na para un bira hao (tatte)? When are you going to return? So, your interpretation of it as “come back” is spot on. Just to add other examples that use the reflexive, when we want to say we’ve moved (residences), we can say “hu muebi yu’ para Texas”…I moved (I’ve relocated myself) to Texas. Un muda hao ta’lo….you changed clothes again…you dressed yourself again (in clean clothes)
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Buenas Profesót! Si Yu’os Ma’åse for your comments, especially about the “ti un bira hao.” The first thing in my mind when I woke up last Friday was, “Why DO we say it like that in Chamorro?” I hear this a lot in songs and it was starting to puzzle me because from an English perspective it seems odd. So your explaination was timely! Now I’m starting to recognize this pattern (with the reflexive, which you termed it, and I’ll remember that) in other sentences, especially with the examples you gave.
And thank-you for that comment about HA’ as an intensifier! I always have used it to mean “just”, but this makes more sense in all the different examples and contexts you gave. It actually makes me understand it better all the times when I’ve heard HA’ but I wasn’t clear on how exactly to understand it. I’ll be updating my translation in the song, and be on the lookout now for those instances. Thank-you!!!
And thank-you for clarifying that you also hear ‘ni’ – we were all hearing different things in our group, and sometimes that’s just how the praktika goes! And for the “desde på’go” my first instinct is also to interpret it as “from now” or “from now on”, which makes it confusing sometimes in conversation with Jay’s family 🙂 I’ll tweak that one too, with the “even I, so far up to now” as I think that English is smoother.
As always, thank-you for your detailed comments!
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Tåya’ guaha! I hope it encourages you to use HA’ more. It really is a subtle difference even when asking a question. Kåo ya-mu? Pretty direct question…do you like it, yes or no? BUT add in the HA’ and it sounds like you’re trying to gauge how much they like it. Kåo ya-mu ha’? DO you like it? And here someone might respond: “hunggan, ya-hu ha’, låo…didide’ ma’asen / mampos guaguan / ga’ña-ku este, etc.”
And I’m sure you know to use HA’ with commands when you’re trying to urge someone to do something…Cho’gue ha’ (I won’t mind…you don’t need my permission)…Kånno’ ha’ (no one else is going to)…Faisen ha’ (you’ll see she won’t mind)…Hånao ha’ (you can go ahead, we’re going to take a while longer)…Tife’ ha’ i mangga, sa’ siempre lastima…and so forth.
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