Whale oil was a foul-smelling thing, but its usefulness in lamps, candles, soap, food and industrial lubricants outweighed the odor. (New Zealand's original settlers, the Maori, generally used whales that had been washed ashore rather than hunting them.) Thus ended a horrific form of hunting that began in 1791, when British ships bringing convicts to Australia started harpooning whales near New Zealand on their way home. We only have it because a 1960s musician named Neil Colquhoun was in the habit of recording old folk tunes this was one he heard from a man in his 80s, who'd learned it from his uncle.Ĭolquhoun first published the song in 1965 by sheer coincidence, this was the same year New Zealand banned whaling. The song hails from New Zealand, likely some time in the 1830s. It's hard to believe, in our everything-is-archived world, that such a catchy tune as "Wellerman" might easily have been lost forever. ''South Sea Whale Fishery,' painted in 1836 - when the Wellerman company was most active. No wonder they wanted to take their leave and go. And as hilarious as "tonguing" sounds to us, it describes one of the worst jobs ever invented - stripping the blubber out of a rotting whale carcass. For example, the original singers' awaited "sugar and tea and rum" not because they loved candy, caffeine, and booze, but because they generally didn't get actual money: This was their pay packet. "Wellerman" reveals a harsh history of exploitation and cruelty, hiding in plain sight in the lyrics.
We've spent months in isolation, yearning for the day when this ship of weirdness will reach the port of normalcy.īut at the risk of raining on the internet's fun, the cheeriness of the tune is deceptive.
And shanties are perfect music for pandemic times. Though musicologists will tell you it's technically a ballad, "Wellerman" fits our concept of a sea shanty as snugly as a cable-knit sweater. This jaunty 19th century earworm, sung so earnestly by a postman with a thick Scottish brogue, is perfect for remixing with multiple layers. It's easy to see why "Soon May the Wellerman Come" became TikTok's first viral hit of 2021.