Wellerman
Nathan Evans Lyrics


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There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of the ship was the Billy O' Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
Oh blow, my bully boys, blow (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

She'd 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 (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

Da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

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 low (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing 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
And he belonged to the Whaleman's creed
She took that ship in tow (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

Da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

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 (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing 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 (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum




One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

Overall Meaning

The song "Wellerman" by Nathan Evans tells the story of a nineteenth-century whaling ship, the Billy O' Tea, and its encounter with a great right whale. The song begins by introducing the ship and its crew, who are out on the sea and experiencing rough weather. They sing, "Oh blow, my bully boys, blow,” which is an old shanty call that was used to encourage the men working on the deck.


The crew is awaiting the arrival of the Wellerman, a supplier who brings them sugar, tea, and rum – essentials for the long voyage at sea. The crew is eager to receive their supplies and return home once their work is done. The next few verses describe the struggle with the great right whale, which the captain manages to capture using harpoons. The crew works hard to keep the whale in tow, and the line goes slack and tight several times.


The song's final verse reveals that the whaling crew has been fighting the whale for forty days or more, and they have lost most of their boats. Nonetheless, they continue to work hard, and the Wellerman still makes his regular calls to encourage the crew. The tune is upbeat and catchy, making the singing and storytelling alluring. It is a traditional sea shanty that has been modernized and has gone on to become popular on platforms such as TikTok.


Line by Line Meaning

There once was a ship that put to sea
The story begins with a ship setting sail.


The name of the ship was the Billy O' Tea
The ship was called 'Billy O' Tea'.


The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
The weather turned bad and the ship began to struggle.


Oh blow, my bully boys, blow (huh)
The crew encouraged each other to keep going despite the bad weather.


Soon may the Wellerman come
The crew hopes the Wellerman, who brings supplies like sugar and tea, will come soon.


To bring us sugar and tea and rum
The Wellerman is expected to bring sugar, tea and rum supplies for the crew.


One day, when the tonguing is done
When the job of the sailors is finished, the crew will leave.


We'll take our leave and go
The crew will leave the ship behind once their work is done.


She'd not been two weeks from shore
The ship had only been out to sea for two weeks.


When down on her a right whale bore
A right whale attacked the ship.


The captain called all hands and swore
The captain called all the sailors to help.


He'd take that whale in tow (huh)
The captain made a vow to capture the whale.


Before the boat had hit the water
The sailors had not even launched their boat yet.


The whale's tail came up and caught her
The whale attacked the sailors' boat.


All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
The sailors all worked together to fight and capture the whale.


When she dived down low (huh)
The whale swam down into the water after the sailors tried to capture it.


No line was cut, no whale was freed
The sailors managed to hold onto the whale and didn't let it escape.


The captain's mind was not of greed
The captain wasn't motivated by money or greed.


And he belonged to the Whaleman's creed
The captain had a deep respect for the ocean and the creatures that lived there.


She took that ship in tow (huh)
The sailors were able to capture the whale and pull it along behind their ship.


For forty days or even more
The sailors were stuck trying to capture the whale for over a month.


The line went slack then tight once more
The sailors were able to hold onto the whale for a while before losing it and then recapturing it again.


All boats were lost, there were only four
Only four boats remained for the sailors to use.


But still that whale did go (huh)
Despite the sailors' efforts, the whale continued to resist capture.


As far as I've heard, the fight's still on
The song suggests that the fight between the sailors and the whale may still be going on.


The line's not cut, and the whale's not gone
The sailors are still holding onto the whale and haven't given up yet.


The Wellerman makes his regular call
The Wellerman, who supplies the sailors with needed items, regularly communicates with the ship.


To encourage the captain, crew and all (huh)
The Wellerman encourages the crew to continue fighting to capture the whale.


Soon may the Wellerman come
The crew still hopes the Wellerman will come soon to provide supplies.


To bring us sugar and tea and rum
The crew is still waiting on the Wellerman to bring them these supplies.


One day, when the tonguing is done
The sailors will leave once their job (tonguing) is finished.


We'll take our leave and go
The sailors will leave the sea behind once their work is finished.




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alexander Oriet, David Phelan, Nathan Evans

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@horstgang424

Finally a song I can play on guitar

@ZZMJo

🤣🤣me, too...

@anakelly8956

😂
Same.

@flavormaker

Thump, thump, thump, thump....

@ivoryas1696

@@thommyh.4492
Fair take. I agree 👍🏾

@sahabatperenung7273

I agree, no missing point at all. 😂

744 More Replies...

@Archerxtreme

Most brilliant sea shanty I've heard in this day and age! Totally feels like it really belongs on a sailing ship with a full crew working the riggings as they sing. Any pirate themed game or movie should have a sea shanty!

@sarahramirez21199

I don't know why but his accent makes the song that much better

@emaleigha_w

@DeLoWaP

А он с акцентом поет?)

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