This past weekend we gathered for our first Saturday practice groups of the year, and it was so wonderful to see everyone again after 2 months away. In our first Praktikan Pupuengi session of this year, we continued through our current song list that focuses entirely on songs from Chamorro women. Aunty Mary won the vote, and she chose Hu Li’e’ Hao Neni by Bobbie DeGracia. It’s actually a sad song where the singer talks about seeing their significant other with someone else. But the song pace is on the slower side, which makes it great for beginners. Just be attentive to how some words are contracted and blended together with other words – especially the pronouns. As always, this post includes Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for the song. Happy listening!

Hu li’e hao neni, guaha ga’chóchong-mu1	I saw you baby, you were with someone
Umapu ya ha chiku hao guatu	He/She leaned over and kissed you there
Ilek-mu nu guahu ti un håsngon chumo’gue	You said to me that you didn’t mean to do it
Lao ai un na’piniti2 kurason-hu	But oh you hurt my heart
Ilek-mu nu guahu na tåya siniente-mu	You said to me that you felt nothing
Lao ai i bidå-ña nu guahu	But oh what it did to me
Ya hunggan hu sienti na tuhu i lago-hu	And yes, I felt that my tears fell
Hu bira i matå-hu neni	I turned my face, baby
Sa’ esta ti hu sungon otru hao gumó’gotte	I couldn’t stand it anymore, another is holding you
Puet anai ha chiku neni, labios-mu	Especially when he/she kissed, baby, your lips
På’gu sa’ esta munhåyan i bidå-mu siha nu guahu	Now because the things you did to me are already done
Po’lu ya3 bei hu sungon bidåda-mu	Let me endure/tolerate what you do
Sa’ i siniente-ku, i guinaiya-ku nu hågu,	Because my love for you is what I feel
Lao ai un na’piniti (h)u4 mampus	But you hurt me really badly
Sa’ i siniente-ku i guinaiya-ku nu hågu	Because my love for you is what I feel
Lao ai un na’piniti (h)u mampus	But you hurt me really badly
Mampus	So much

Notes

1. guaha ga’chóchong-mu: The word ga’chóchong-mu comes from the word ga’chong or ga’chung which means “partner, friend, associate, mate.” It is commonly used to refer to friends or buddies, and amongst men it can be used in the greeting Håfa ga’chung? (“Hey partner!” or “Hey friend!”). But in this context, we understand it to mean that the person’s significant other was with someone else. The word ga’chong has been reduplicated and the possessive pronoun -mu attached to the end. The resulting guaha ga’chóchong-mu can be literally understood as “there was someone accompanying you”, but in English we would say “You were with someone.” ↩︎
2. na’piniti: “To make someone/something hurt in an emotional sense.” The root word is puti, which means “to hurt, to ache, to feel pain.” When you cause (physical) pain to someone or something, you na’puti them. But when you na’piniti someone, you are causing them an emotional pain or hurt, as in sadness or an ache in their heart or soul. ↩︎
3. po’lu ya: The word po’lu has multiple meanings and usages in Chamorro, and for many learners we may be most familiar with it’s meaning of “to place, to put”. But in this context, it has the meaning of “let it go” or “leave it”, but in an emotional sense rather than physically placing an object somewhere. ↩︎
4. un na’piniti (h)u: If we are learning Chamorro in a classroom or from linguistic texts, we will be taught that a Yu’ Type Pronoun must be used when it is the object of a verb (For example: Un chiku yu’; Un toktok yu’; Un kuentusi yu’; Un na’piniti yu’). But please note that in native Chamorro speech, the yu’ is often softened to more of a hu or u sound to improve the flow of speech. This softening is what the singer is doing here, as this helps the lyric flow easier. ↩︎