Kåntan Chamoru: Hågu Ya-hu

Here’s another song (of the very few) I listened to toward the end of 2020, when I was in my first 8 months of learning Chamorro. It has always been one of my favorites, and so it was good practice to listen more carefully to the lyrics. Here are Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for the song Hågu Ya-hu by Lief Pangelinan. Happy listening!

Chamoru	English
Annai på’go hu li’e’ hao1	When I first saw you1
Un na’fañiente korason-hu	You made my heart feel something
Sa’ mampos yu’ nai un yå’ho’2	Because you really roused (my feelings)2
Un na’fanguaiya yu’ nu hågu	You made me fall in love with you
Hågu yu’ bumensi	You were the one who affected me strongly
Ola mohon ya guahu guinaiya-mu neni	If only I would be the one who is your love, baby
Para todu i tiempo	Forever
Neni	Baby
Hågu ya-hu (hågu ya-hu)	You are the one I like (you are the one I like)
Hågu solu (hågu solu)	Only you (only you)
Fitme gi korason-hu	It is certain in my heart
Hågu ya-hu (hågu ya-hu)	You are the one I like (you are the one I like)
Hågu solu (hågu solu)	Only you (only you)
Fitme gi korason-hu	It is certain in my heart
Hagas ha’ di hu tånga hao	For a long time already, I have wished for you
Yan hu guiguife hao an puengi	And I am dreaming of you when it’s night
Ya bai gosa på’go i mumento	And I will enjoy the moment now
An humihita paradisu	When we are together it’s paradise
Hågu yu’ bumensi	You were the one who affected me strongly
Ola mohon ya guahu guinaiya-mu neni	If only I would be the one who is your love, baby
Para todu i tiempo	Forever
Neni	Baby
Hågu ya-hu (hågu ya-hu)	You are the one I like (you are the one I like)
Hågu solu (hågu solu)	Only you (only you)
Fitme gi korason-hu	It is certain in my heart
Hågu ya-hu (hågu ya-hu)	You are the one I like (you are the one I like)
Hågu solu (hågu solu)	Only you (only you)
Fitme gi korason-hu	It is certain in my heart
Bunitå-mu malak mågi	Your beauty came to me
Ayu na hu tungo’	That’s what made me know
Ti un sångan na un sen guaiya yu’	You didn’t say that you really loved me
Lao i matå-mu kumeha3	But it was your face that gave you away3
[dåndan]	[music]
I bunitå-mu malak mågi	Your beauty came to me
Ayu na hu tungo’	That’s what made me know
Ti un sångan na un sen guaiya yu’	You didn’t say that you really loved me
Lao i matå-mu kumeha	But it was your face that gave you away
Hågu ya-hu (hågu ya-hu)	You are the one I like (you are the one I like)
Hågu solu (hågu solu)	Only you (only you)
Fitme gi korason-hu	It is certain in my heart

Notes

¹ Annai på’go hu li’e’ hao: The use of the word på’go with annai in this phrase makes it translate to “when I first saw you.” Annai på’go can also be used to indicate that something just happened. Here are some other usages to help practice this pattern, which I’ve pulled from Påle’ Eric’s blog:

• annai på’go måtai = when he just died
• annai på’go manhålom i Chapanis = when the Japanese first came
• annai på’go gaige yo’ gi mina’singko grådu = when I first entered the fifth grade
• annai på’go umasagua ham = when we first got married

(back to lyrics)

² yå’ho: Yå’ho or Yå’hu means “to wake someone up” or “to physically rouse someone from sleep.” It can also mean to “arouse a feeling” or “to rouse.” In the context of this song, I interpret it as stirring up feelings of love or attraction. We can also think of this as waking up in a figurative sense.

(back to lyrics)

³ kumeha: This comes from the word keha which means “to notify; to report on about some misconduct; to tell on.” In the phrase Lao i matå-mu kumeha, we can understand it literally as “It was your face that told on you (about your true feelings).” In English we would understand this as someone’s face or expression “giving them away.”