Sea Shanties have become a craze again recently because of a singer named Nathan Evans and now you can be in on it too!
Sea Shanties are songs that were sung together by labors on deck of large merchant sailing ships. Also called as chantey and chanty, they used to help the workers work in sync because of the beats. So Sea Shanties were sung in chorus while working simultaneously by pirates and other sea workers.
Origin of the Sea Shanties on TikTok
A singer named Nathan Evans posted a TikTok video of him singing a Sea Shanty called The Scotsman which went viral instantly. After receiving more than a million views, he went ahead and posted the second part of the same Sea Shanty which was also praised a lot.
This became a new trend on TikTok and a lot of other people started singing Sea Shanties. Nathan then came up with other Sea Shanties like The Wellerman and The Drunken Sailor as well both of which were well received. People are now trying to make different versions of the Wellerman Sea Shanty and the attempts are all soothing and wholesome.
Lyrics of the Wellerman Sea Shanty
This Sea Shanty was made around the time when African people were working as slaves. They used to load and unload bales of cotton on seaports. The word bully here means drunk sailor who they left and then went back to pick him up while returning to the ship. The lyrics go like this –
There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
O blow, my bully boys, blow
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin’ is done
We’ll take our leave and go
She had not been two weeks from shore
When down on her a right whale bore
The captain called all hands and swore
He’d take that whale in tow
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin’ is done
We’ll take our leave and go
Before the boat had hit the water
The whale’s tail came up and caught her
All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
When she dived down below
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin’ is done
We’ll take our leave and go
No line was cut, no whale was freed
The Captain’s mind was not of greed
But he belonged to the whaleman’s creed
She took the ship in tow
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin’ is done
We’ll take our leave and go
For forty days, or even more
The line went slack, then tight once more
All boats were lost, there were only four
But still that whale did go
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin’ is done
We’ll take our leave and go
As far as I’ve heard, the fight’s still on
The line’s not cut and the whale’s not gone
The Wellerman makes his regular call
To encourage the Captain, crew, and all
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin’ is done
We’ll take our leave and go
