It was not the first sea shanty I’d seen on TikTok. All of them were links to a TikTok video of several guys singing a song, a sea shanty from the 19th century called “Wellerman,” using TikTok’s duet feature. When I woke up last Friday morning, I realized I had several messages. It’s perfect for singing along with as there are several parts.SeaShantyTok keeps getting better /yWLEHzlPlB- Peter Fries January 8, 2021 This is a great version that’s a lot of fun. They’re a sea shanty band that popped up as a result of TikTok collabs. It’s extremely tricky to narrow it down, but we’ll share our favourites. Thanks to TikTok, there are almost too many excellent versions of this song. This means the escaping whale is actively pulling the boat through the water. The whale has been harpooned and remains attached to the boat. It’s widely believed the name ‘right whale’ came about because they’re the right whale to hunt. They were a popular choice for whalers because they have lots of oil, feed near the surface, and stay in coastal waters. A right whale – also known as a black whale – is the 2nd largest whale in the ocean. These would be chopped into small pieces and put in a large pot to boil down – the highly valued oil being the final product. When the whale’s being processed, the blubber is cut off in long strips known as tongues. Imagine how difficult it would be to find a specific ship out in the middle of the ocean… “One day, when the tonguing is done” There’s no reason to suggest the Weller Company ever did deep-sea resupplies. As we discussed, the Wellerman would bring them supplies. This is inspired by the shore-whalers’ day-to-day living. ‘Bully boys’ is a way of saying tough men, good fellows, hardy chaps… you get the idea. ‘Blow’ means strike but was used for many purposes such as row. It got windy and the front of the ship dipped after cresting a big wave. Perhaps the song was first created when they were making a cuppa? “The winds blew up, her bow dipped down” They named their fictional whaler after this. As a fictional song created by shore-whalers, you’d expect a somewhat humorous name.Ī billy is slang for a lightweight cooking pot often used to boil water for tea or coffee. This makes sense in the context we shared above. The Weller Company owned many ships but there are no records of one called the Billy of Tea. (Chorus) x2 What the lyrics mean “And the name of the ship was the Billy of Tea” The line’s not cut and the whale’s not gone The line went slack, then tight once moreĪll boats were lost (there were only four)Īs far as I’ve heard, the fight’s still on Wellerman lyricsĪnd the name of the ship was the Billy of TeaĪll hands to the side, harpooned and fought her They created a fictional story about deep-sea whaling and added several elements familiar from their own lives. The song itself is thought to be a creation of the shore whalers. In the same way that postmen have names but are often called the postie, the arriving ship had a unique name but was often referred to as the Wellerman. They had stations all along the southern coast and would regularly arrive to collect the processed oil, and pay their workers in a variety of supplies including “sugar and tea and rum”. Their prime years were from 1830 to 1840. One of the large companies involved in this was the Weller Company. This forced many of them to settle in New Zealand because they couldn’t afford to leave. These whalers received their pay in the form of goods instead of money. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.
Polack, Joel Samuel 1807-1882 :The North Cape, New Zealand, and sperm whale fishery. This easy access dramatically increased yields and was responsible for several new towns popping up to support the industry. Once they found them, they’d kill the adult whales and take them onshore for processing. This entailed tracking down the shallow waters the whales preferred to give birth in – the young need calm water and easy access to the surface. It’s very different from the style of whaling discussed in The Bonny Ship The Diamond.
This is not the sort of whaling that was being done in New Zealand. If you’re familiar with whaling, you’ll perhaps be picturing a powerful battle in deep waters. Oil was the main product being used for lighting, lubrication in machinery, and the production of various products. Whalers were trying to collect 2 things: oil and bone. Originally recorded as ‘Soon May the Wellerman Come’ this is a song about the New Zealand whaling industry.
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