Wellerman
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Summary
The Wellerman has become possibly the best known folk song from New Zealand. Published in Song of a Young Country in 1972, song writer anon, the Wellerman has been popular in folk clubs in New Zealand ever since. The sound recording is by the Maritime Crew who were an Auckland-based sea shanty group, founded in 1994 by Rudy Sunde, Gavin Asher, Jim Cardow, Terry Free, Andy Hindley, John Walton, and Frank Winter. In 2016 the group comprised John McGowan, Warren Payne, Bob Large, Lew Black, and Paul Howarth. The Video is well known English shanty group, The longest Johns. In 2021, Nathan Evans released a cover of the folk song "Wellerman", which peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart and also charted in several other countries. This resulted in an upsurge of interest in the song and in sea shanties.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
There once was a ship that put to sea
And the name of that ship was the Billy o' Tea
The winds blew hard, her bow dipped down
Blow, me bully boys, blow (Hah!)
[Chorus]
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
[Verse 2]
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 (Hah!)
[Chorus]
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
[Verse 3]
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 (Huh!)
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.
For forty days, or even more,
The line went slack, then tight once more.
All boats were lost (there were only four)
But still the whale did 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.
