Opetaia Foa'i has stated about the song, whose title is Tokelauan for “Homesick”: “Arriving in New Zealand with my uncle from a small village in Alamagoto, Samoa. I was 9 years old and didn’t speak the language, everything familiar to me had gone, I was homesick”.
["Manatu" - Te Vaka]
Oku kohu e he masani ai
Kehe hoki ma na sevae
Kave ai i hetahi fenua
Tagi tagi ai au mo toku kaiga
Taku mai pe i fea toku matua
Ve na puli e fakailoaina
Taku mai pe i fea toku tamana
Na galo atu i te taeao nei
E mamafa, e manako, e fakamatala
Te uiga o te folau
E mamafa, e manako, e fakamatala
Te uiga o te folau
Tuku mai he tali e fakamalie ai au
Manatua lelei te vaitafe
Aku feleni e sakili mai au
Fakataumafai ae he mafai
E au o tali ki ei
E manatu fia manatu
Toku kaiga
Fia manatu toku kaiga-iga
E manatu fia manatu
Toku kaiga
Fia manatu toku kaiga-iga-iga-iga
Nofonofo filemu lava venei
Itе pogiha, toku mafaufau e tiga
Te fanoanoa - te pogiha - tе fanoanoa
(Te fanoanoa - te pogiha - te fanoanoa)
[Spoken: Opetaia Foa'i]
Te mamao ko tau malaga na fai
Ae heai lele he tino e malamalama ai
Kae haloa koe koe ke onosai mai
Aua e iai na mea taua fakatali mai mo koe
Tau tala moni lava te na
E koe ke fakamakeke ma fakamalohi
Kae amutia koe te manaia ko tou lumanaki
Ka pa koe ki iei
E manatu fia manatu
Toku kaiga
Fia manatu toku kaiga-iga
E manatu fia manatu
Toku kaiga
Fia manatu toku kaiga-iga-iga-iga
E manatu fia manatu
Toku kaiga
Fia manatu toku kaiga-iga
E manatu fia manatu
Toku kaiga
Fia manatu toku kaiga-iga-iga-iga
Manatu was written by Opetaia Foa’i & Malcolm Smith.