Lyrics

               Kua rongo rānei koe?
               Kua wehe atu tana wahine
               Kei te mahi tarau makere
​               Kua rongo rānei koe?
​5             A tēnā kua peke taiapa kē
​               Kua kuīni kuīni, e kare!

               I ahu mai i te ngutu kuia
               I te ika haehae kupenga
               I te wahine pihareina e
​10           Ko te nanakia rā
               Ko te harihari kōrero

               Nāwai i kōhimuhimu
               Kātahi ka hē kē atu
               Me taringa kirirua e
​15           Nāwai i kōrero tika
​               Kātahi ka kōrero teka
​               Kaua e taringa hōkeke

               Kua rongo rānei koe?
               Kua tino tūpuhi rawa e
​20           I te moe pūremu, tāhae

               Kua rongo rānei koe?
               A tēnā kua pukunati e
​               Kua hapū he pōriro, auē!

               Mehemea koe ka whakarongo
​25           Kaua rawa e whakapono
               Kia pā te waha o te hoiho e
​               Mō te nanakia rā,
               Ko te harihari kōrero

               Mehemea mōu ngā kōrero
​30           Me taringa kōhatu, taringa mārō
               Ka whakarongo uka atu e
               Kei noho ka hīrawerawe
               Kia mau ki te rangimarie, me te aroha

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Have you heard?
She’s left her husband
And is doing the dirty!
What about the latest?
He’s jumped the fence.
To bat for the other team.  Queen!

Generated by tattlers
Instigated by trouble-makers
And by nosey women tale-bearers
I’m talking about gossip!

What begins as gossip
Can end up as gospel
Keep your ears open
What starts off as the truth
Can be twisted into a lie, in which case
Keep your ears shut

Have you heard about him
He’s mucking around, the evidence
Is written all over his body
​​What about her?
She’s got a pot belly, I heard it’s because
She’s pregnant from that one night-stand
With so and so.

Don’t believe everything you hear
Unless it comes from the horses mouth
I’m talking about gossip!

If anything is ever said about you
Don’t pay attention, even though it’s hard
To bear pain with firmness
By merely worrying about it, you are only
Satisfying the gossip-mongers intentions
Keep the faith!  Love is the best weapon.

Explanation

The poi was composed as a clever, entertaining and light-hearted response to some very burdensome rumours and warns of the consequences of gossip mongering, and offers advice to those who fall victim to it; ‘kia mau kit e rangimārie me te aroha – keep the faith!’
Tune: Te Waipounamu Teinakore, Te Manawaroa Teinakore