Topenga Ataata
Kupu Tūpato
Open my legs, lie down with death
– Whakatuwherahia oku waewae, takoto ki te mate
We kiss, we sigh, we sweat
– Ka kihi, ka manawa, ka werawera
His blackberry mouth stains my nightgown
– Ko tōna waha parakipere e whakapoke ana i taku kākahu moenga
I pull him close
– Ka whakatata atu ahau ki a ia
Wrap my legs around and it tastes like life
– Roropi oku waewae a ka reka te reira rite te ora
I twist, I bite
– Ka huri ahau, ka kai ahau
The foxes chatter in the night
– Ka kōrerorero ngā puka i te pō
Show me the way
– Whakaaturia mai ki ahau te ara
This feeling leads
– Tenei mana’o arata’i
The ache, the kick, the need
– Ko te mamae, ko te patunga, ko te hiahia
Show me the way
– Whakaaturia mai ki ahau te ara
This feeling leads
– Tenei mana’o arata’i
The ache, the kick, the need
– Ko te mamae, ko te patunga, ko te hiahia
A shimmering landscape, I widen my eyes
– He whenua e whiti ana, ka whakanuia e ahau oku kanohi
Can I keep all this beauty forever inside?
– Ka taea e au te pupuri i tēnei ataahua katoa mō ake tonu atu?
I tear off my nightgown and run naked through the town
– Ka haehae ahau i taku kākahu moenga ka rere tahanga i roto i te taone
Run through rain, run through fog
– Rere i roto i te ua, rere i roto i te kohu
Taking consolation in cats and dogs and things that cannot speak
– Te tango whakamarie i roto i nga ngeru me nga kuri me nga mea kaore e taea te korero
Ran to the ancestral plane, but they all showed up drunk and insane
– I rere ki te papa o ngā tīpuna, engari i puta katoa rātau i te haurangi, i te haurangi
When I asked what I could offer them
– I taku pātai he aha taku e tuku atu ai ki a rātou
They said, “Gin and tonic or lithium”
– Ka mea ratou, ” Gin me tonic lithium ranei”
I asked, “Which way should I go?”
– Ka ui ahau, ” Ko Tehea ara me haere ahau?”
Through cigarette smoke, they said
– Na roto i te paowa hikareti, ka mea ratou
“Child, how would we know?”
– “E te tamaiti, me pēhea e mōhio ai tātou?”
Show me the way
– Whakaaturia mai ki ahau te ara
This feeling leads
– Tenei mana’o arata’i
The ache, the kick, the need
– Ko te mamae, ko te patunga, ko te hiahia
Show me the way
– Whakaaturia mai ki ahau te ara
This feeling leads
– Tenei mana’o arata’i
The ache, the kick, the need
– Ko te mamae, ko te patunga, ko te hiahia
Desire beyond reason
– Te hiahia i tua atu i te whakaaro
Ruinous thing
– He mea whakangaro
A stranger came to my door
– I haere mai tētahi tangata kē ki toku tatau
And I welcomed him in
– A i manako ahau ki a ia i roto i
My feet are bleeding
– Kei te toto oku waewae
But I cannot stop, I have many, many miles
– Otiia e kore e taea e ahau te mutu, I ahau maha, maha maero
Yet to cross
– Kāore anō kia whiti
I came to a clearing
– I haere mai ahau ki tētahi māra
Full of wailing and keening
– Ki tonu i te tangi me te tangi
A well of tears that never runs dry
– He puna roimata e kore e maroke
Women said, “We’ve been waiting
– Ka mea nga wahine, ” Kua tatari Matou
Waiting to meet you, it’s only a matter of time”
– Te tatari ki te whakatau ia koe, te reira anake te mea o te wā”
Thrust my fists in the ground
– Patohia aku ringa ki te whenua
And the earth made a moaning sound, oh, oh
– A ka tangi te whenua, aue, aue
I could feel something shudder
– Ka taea e au te fe i tētahi mea e wiri ana
Deeper, deeper down
– Hohonu, hohonu iho
And I met every monster from the bar to Broadway
– Na ka tutaki ahau ki nga kararehe katoa mai i Te pae Ki Broadway
And all their violent offers, I just turn them away
– A ko a rātau tono nanakia katoa, ka tahuri atu ahau i a rātau
And your threats and your promises, they don’t scare me
– Me ōu whakawehi me ōu kupu whakaari, kāore rātou e whakawehi i ahau
After all, there’s nobody more monstrous than me (Woo)
– I muri i nga mea katoa, kaore he tangata nui atu i ahau (Woo)
Than me (Woo)
– I ahau (Woo)
