Wellerman meaning

Sea shanties have sprung into our collective awareness lately, and with good reason.

The Wellerman needs no introduction. ShantyTok has made it ubiquitous; even those who know nothing about sea shanties seem to know the chorus. Scottish postie Nathan Evans found fame through his version and was awarded a record deal. What is tonguing? If you fancy singing it, check out our instrumental karaoke version of Soon May the Wellerman Come. Whalers were trying to collect 2 things: oil and bone.

Wellerman meaning

In , it dominated TikTok and YouTube, with singer after singer and group after group covering it. But what about the lyrics? The Wellerman originally came from New Zealand, where whaling was big business from around until the Perano Whaling Station closed in Now, New Zealand has a strong anti-whaling stance, and the government supports a worldwide moratorium on whaling. This helps us narrow down the setting to in or near New Zealand waters. The title of the sea shanty is another clue. The Wellerman refers to the real-life Weller Brothers , who were successful merchant traders in the area. In the s, the Weller Brothers established themselves near Otago Harbour in New Zealand, another popular whaling station. Trading with whalers and the people who lived near whaling stations was also big business—for a short while. However, the Weller Brothers eventually went bankrupt in Songs like these are passed down from person to person vocally over the years, so nobody needs to write anything down. Much later, when we want to know the original songwriter, that information is lost to the past. In , Neil Colquhoun , a New Zealand-based folk song compiler, collected this sea shanty for posterity. In the song , we hear the story of a whaling ship called the Billy of Tea.

He works wellerman meaning with journalists and other staff to format and publish music content for the Music Grotto website. Whale watching in New Zealand. Authority control databases MusicBrainz work.

Long ago, when most of the world was outside of their homes, working, growing, building, hunting, and living off the land and not on social media machines , the work song was as important as any bit of rain or sunshine to creating a life. A long song with lots of lyrics, the song likely provided a great deal of meaning and accompaniment to long days in the country as shore whalers hunted their giant sea mammals for flesh and oil. The title of the song is a reference to supply ships owned by the Weller brothers, who were some of the earliest European settlers of the Otago region of New Zealand. The Weller brothers were known then for shipping many important items, including luxury supplies like rum and gun powder. From , the Weller brothers made a name for themselves, supplying whalers in New Zealand with what they needed. It was a great deal of work and require a song with catchiness and meaning that provided some stability to them as they toiled. At its peak in the early s, the Otakou station produced tons of whale oil per year.

Singing has been a part of life at sea for centuries. But sea shanties traditionally take a very particular form:. They could help keep time among groups of sailors, coordinate physical movements like hauling ropes and raising sails, and relieve the boredom of long, repetitive tasks. How the Sea Shanty originated is not difficult to discover. It has undoubtedly grown out of the natural inclination one feels in hauling, or in otherwise performing any rhythmical operation, to keep time with one's voice, feet or hands, in parallel rhythmical sound. The term 'sea shanty' itself first emerged in the s. One often proposed origin is that it came from the French word 'chanter', meaning to sing.

Wellerman meaning

This article was updated on 12th December to include additional information and some minor editing. Even Scottish singer Nathan Evans , whose version went viral on TikTok in late , has labelled it as such. They are dead wrong. The Wellerman is a 19th-century whaling ballad or folk song from New Zealand. This highly popular song, which Cohen recorded in , is actually about earthly, profane love. It makes references to the Bible but has erotic undertones.

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IFPI Norway. Known for her beautiful stairwell covers, this does not disappoint. Retrieved 10 March Retrieved 27 May Doctor Who channel. Daily Express. It, therefore, was a financial boon to the Weller brothers, too. Retrieved 15 January New Zealand folk song. There is indeed some argument on that last point, as some scholars maintain that pumping shanties are their own distinct category. Retrieved 20 January Digital download — karaoke version [37] No. Credits adapted from Discogs. A sailing ship running before high winds would pitch forward, lowering the bow and raising the stern.

The song tells the story of whale hunters waiting for a supply ship called the Wellerman to bring them provisions and goods.

This is not the sort of whaling that was being done in New Zealand. From , the Weller brothers made a name for themselves, supplying whalers in New Zealand with what they needed. The New York Times. Translator tool. Retrieved 5 January It involved butchering the whale, rendering the blubber for oil, and preparing the bone for use in its myriad roles which are now filled by plastics. Music Canada. It,s a great succes during our performance. Retrieved 3 May ShantyTok has made it ubiquitous; even those who know nothing about sea shanties seem to know the chorus. English—Norwegian Norwegian—English. Whale watching now contributes to a sustainable tourist industry in the coastal waters that the likes of the Billy once hunted. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.