(Intro) (The terrifying roar of a massive, crackling fire building in the distance) (A low, suffocating throat-singing drone begins: 'Mmmmm...') (The sound of heavy, dry flax ropes stretching: Creaaaak...) (Whispered, overlapping chant) Mow-ee... (Māui - The Demigod) Teh Rah... (Te Rā - The Sun) Mow-ee... (Verse 1) (Slow, heavy, relentless drum beat enters: THUD... THUD... THUD...) The burning god is moving fast The fleeting shadow will not last No time to carve, no time to eat Before the blinding, crushing heat The day is born and dies too soon Beneath the chasing of the moon But Mow-ee weaves the Hah-rah-keh-keh (Harakeke - Flax) tight To ambush morning in the dead of night. (Chorus) (Drums erupt into a violent, pulling rhythm. The sound of ropes snapping taut.) (Full choir of deep voices roaring in exertion) Tow-rah! (Taura - Rope) Bind the fire! Hold the line! Tow-rah! The burning of the sky is mine! Teh Rah! (Te Rā - The Sun) Rising from the smoking pit! Teh Rah! We will not bow, we will not sit! (Verse 2) (Music drops to a pulsing drone and the terrifying hiss of scorching heat) They hide behind the wall of clay To trap the breaking of the day The giant lifts his flaming head To paint the eastern heavens red Now throw the ropes and pull the slack! We break the skin and break the back! He screams out in the blinding flash But we are standing in the ash! (Bridge) (Acapella. Frantic, heavy pulling sounds and the sharp CRACK of a weapon striking) Pah-too! (Patu - Strike/Beat) Strike the fire! Slow the speed! Pah-too! Make the blinding giant bleed! The jawbone falls upon the flame! The mighty sun is broken tame! Too-kee-tah! (Tukita - To strike/pound) Too-kee-tah! (Chorus) (Maximum volume, huge wall of sound with crashing percussion and roaring voices) Tow-rah! Bind the fire! Hold the line! Tow-rah! The burning of the sky is mine! Teh Rah! Rising from the smoking pit! Teh Rah! We will not bow, we will not sit! (Outro) (The heavy percussion suddenly stops) (Only the low drone and the sound of a slow, crackling ember remain) (Spoken in a deep, exhausted whisper) The ropes are scarred. The sun walks slowly across the sky. Ow-tay-ah-row-ah... (Aotearoa) (A single, final strike of bone on stone)