He aha rā kei te tau o taku ate?

English lyrics

Kaitātaki: What is this tearing me apart?

Katoa: It is the pain at the loss of my language.
Māori organisations throughout the country
And the Māori people themselves
Prefer the language of the Pākehā.
How can the Māori language survive if that situation persists?
It will not survive because of kōhanga reo,
Te Ātārangi, bilingual schools or universities
But by being spoken all the time.
We, the Māori, here assembled
Be dilatory and indigent no longer
Lest it be left to the Pākehā to keep our language alive.

Get your act together!
Get your act together so that these words are meaningful,
'My language, my cherished possession
My language, my object of affection
My language, my precious adornment'
Aue! Aue! Aue! What pain I feel at the loss of something so valuable.