Hilo Hattie Does the Hilo Hop

from No Shame by Na Hilahila Boys

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about

by Don McDiarmid, Sr & John Noble
Source: Derek Lamar, Hawaiian Music and Musicians by George Kanahele, Noble's Hawaiian Favorites, Copyright 1936, 64 Miller Music Corp. - Don McDiarmid, Sr. was part of the Harry Owens band at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1935, when he wrote this song. Judged a clever tune about a sexy siren, it was not 'high class' enough to be performed at the hotel. McDiarmid set it aside and about a year later, Clara Inter, a school teacher and member of Louise Akeo's Royal Hawaiian Girls' Glee Club found the song and performed it on a trip to Canada with the glee club. In the summer of 1937, while leading his own band in the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Clara Inter insisted on performing this song that catapulted the composer and dancer to fame. Clara was so closely indentified with the song, she adopted the title as her legal name

lyrics

When Hilo Hattie does the Hilo Hop
There's not a bit of use for a traffic cop
For everything and everybody comes to a stop
When Hilo Hattie does the Hilo Hop
The sugar raises cane the palms trees sigh
The ukuleles fret and the birds won't fly
The Humuhumunukunukus stop swimming by
When Hilo Hattie does the Hilo Hop

Hui:
That wahine has an opu
With a college education
There's no motion she don't go thru
She doesn't leave a thing to your imagination

Hattie does a dance no law would allow
A crater got a look and it's sizzling now
She'd better watch her step or everything will be pau
When Hilo Hattie does the Hilo Hop

Hui:
They took Hattie to the hoosegow
Hattie went along quite gaily
She said "Oh judge, turn me loose now,
I'll do my dance while you play your ukulele."

Hattie should've died from too much gin
But she will never pay for her life of sin.
St. Peter's gonna take a look and say "come on in"
When Hilo Hattie does the Hilo Hop
When Hilo Hattie does the Hilo Hop

credits

from No Shame, released January 7, 2018

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about

Eric Muhs Seattle, Washington

gigging musician since 1981 in Seattle's seminal "new wave" bands STUDENT NURSE & AUDIO LETER. Got into recording in late 80's in Santa Cruz with MATA RATA. Built homemade 4 track tape loop system for 200 + solo performances. Now live back in Seattle, where I make instruments & perform with Metal Men. I've got a modest solar-powered recording studio. More at www.invisiblemusicstudio.org ... more