The Longest Johns formed in June 2012 after first singing together at a friend's barbecue. The original line up consisted of Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathan Darley and Dave Robinson. About a week later, they posted their first video on YouTube, singing "Haul Away Joe." They released their debut EP, Bones in the Ocean, in 2013, the title track of which is still one of their most popular. Their first full album, Written in Salt, was released in 2016, featuring tracks such as Drunken Sailor, Old Maui and Randy Dandy-O.
In June 2018 they released their second album, Between Wind & Water, which contained the smash hit "Wellerman". This recording, as well as the one used in the bands' Sea of Thieves series "Open Crewsing" would go on to cause the viral sensation in the years to come.
In October 2019, the band announced that Anna Cornish would be leaving the band to focus on her other band, The Norfolk Broads.
In March 2020, they released a song titled "Flatten the Curve", urging people to stay indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2020, the band released their third studio album, Cures What Ails Ya. This album was the Johns' first album featuring a full array of instruments on half of the songs.
In March 2023, The Longest Johns released a collab album, The Longest Pony, featuring collabs with the Barcelona folk group, El Pony Pisador. The album features the song "Al Pirata Joan Torrellas" which sung only in Catalan.
On 1 May 2023, the band announced the departure of founding member Dave Robinson.
Wellerman
The Longest Johns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the name of that ship was the Billy o' Tea
The winds blew hard, her bow dipped down
Blow, me bully boys, blow (huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
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 (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
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)
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
An' the captain's mind was not on greed
But 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
For forty days or even more (ooh)
The line went slack then tight once more
All boats were lost, there were only four
And still that whale did 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
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 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
The Longest Johns' song "Wellerman" tells the tale of the Billy o' Tea, a ship that sets out to sea with a crew in search of tea, sugar, and rum that the Wellerman is supposed to deliver to them. The song narrates the struggles of the crew as they face the rough winds and high waves while chasing a whale. The captain of the ship promises his crew that they will be able to leave once they are done with the "tonguing," referring to the process of rendering the whale's blubber.
During the voyage, a right whale attacks the ship, leaving the crew to fight for their survival. Although they managed to catch the whale with a harpoon, the endeavor lasts for over forty days, and the ship loses all boats but four. The crew remains hopeful that the Wellerman will soon arrive to deliver the much-needed supplies of sugar, tea, and rum that they so desperately need to survive.
Line by Line Meaning
There once was a ship that put to sea
This is the beginning of the story of a ship that set out to sea.
And the name of that ship was the Billy o' Tea
The name of the ship was the Billy o' Tea.
The winds blew hard, her bow dipped down
The strong winds made the front part of the ship go down.
Blow, me bully boys, blow (huh)
The sailors are using the wind to make the ship move and are singing a chant to keep themselves motivated.
Soon may the Wellerman come
The sailors are hoping that the Wellerman will arrive soon.
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
The sailors are expecting the Wellerman to bring them sugar, tea and rum.
One day, when the tonguing is done
They hope that when the process of extracting whale oil is done, they will leave.
We'll take our leave and go
They will leave the ship and go home after the job is done.
She had not been two weeks from shore
The ship had only been at sea for two weeks after leaving shore.
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 and made an oath to capture the whale.
He'd take that whale in tow (huh)
He wanted to capture the whale and take it with them.
Before the boat had hit the water
Before the sailors could get into their boats,
The whale's tail came up and caught her
The whale hit the boat with its tail.
All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
All the sailors on board tried to catch the whale with harpoons.
When she dived down below (huh)
The whale went under the water.
No line was cut, no whale was freed
Despite the difficult circumstances, the whale was not cut loose or freed.
An' the captain's mind was not on greed
The captain was not motivated by personal gain, but by duty or tradition.
But he belonged to the Whaleman's creed
The captain was following a set of beliefs or traditions related to whales and whaling.
She took that ship in tow (huh)
The whale started pulling the ship behind it.
For forty days or even more (ooh)
The journey with the whale lasted for more than 40 days.
The line went slack then tight once more
The line used to capture the whale went from loose to tight and back again.
All boats were lost, there were only four
All the other boats were lost, and only four remained.
And still that whale did go
Despite all the difficulties, the whale continued to pull the ship.
As far as I've heard, the fight's still on
The singer has only heard part of the story and is not sure what the current situation is.
The line's not cut, and the whale's not gone
The whale is not yet caught and the line is still attached to it.
The Wellerman makes his regular call
The sailors are waiting for the Wellerman to make a regular call to them.
To encourage the captain, crew and all
The Wellerman will offer support and encouragement to the captain and crew.
Lyrics ยฉ Sentric Music
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thelongestjohns
Donโt forget to check back next week for the live stream on Weds and the release of the over 6000 singer strong Community Project on Friday!
https://youtu.be/RQ2HbYnlc3s
@thatoneshotgunkin9372
First comment here, pog
@godzillasbiggestfan
I want to join that time can you tell me how to join?
@Tonie0
?
@thelongestjohns
@@godzillasbiggestfan Help us get there by liking, sharing, commenting and all that first... then the best bet is signing up to the mailing list and youโll be first to know
@percythepig7774
E
@SeaOfThieves
Nice crates.
@The_Void_Constellation
Bet those crates has bananas in them
@aidanbach6668
Thats exactly what I was thinking lol
@willypep
ARE YOU SPANEESH?!?!