In 1990, the New England-based folk trio Gordon Bok, Ann Mayo Muir, and Ed Trickett recorded a version on their LP, And So Will We Yet.
Throughout the past few decades, “The Wellerman” has been recorded many times. He may have composed the song “The Wellerman,” or at least memorized it and recited it formally to his nephew. Rogers, was thought to be a teenage pirate or shore whaler in the mid-19th Century. It was originally collected for publication, about 100 years after it was written in 1966 by New Zealand-based music teacher and folk music composer Neil Colquhoun, from the then-80-year-old F.R. The song was likely sung while slicing and dicing a whale carcass. It dates back, likely, to about 1860 in New Zealand, and many think was likely written by a pirate or whaler or shipman. And the majority of the song highlights the ship’s captain on the hunt, keen-eyed, for the whale that will bring them the most profit (and oil).īut, of course, the work would be made that much easier with a little rum. The song’s chorus highlights the idea of “tonguing,” which is the practice of cutting strips of whale blubber to render and turn into oil for sale. On their search, the crew is hoping for a “wellerman” to find them and bring the supplies they thirst for: rum, sugar, and tea (aka drugs).Īccording to the New Zealand Folk Song website, the workers “at these bay-whaling stations (shore whalers) were not paid wages, they were paid in slops (ready-made clothing), spirits and tobacco.” The name of the ship was the Billy of TeaĪs you can see, the meaning of the song describes a whaling ship and its hunt for the “right whale,” which is a fatty, bulbous variety. The first two verses of the sea ballad go like this: It, therefore, was a financial boon to the Weller brothers, too. Commercial whaling in New Zealand continued until the 1960s. It was a great deal of work and require a song with catchiness and meaning that provided some stability to them as they toiled.Īt its peak in the early 1800s, the Otakou station produced 310 tons of whale oil per year. While whaling has been popular in many regions around the world, in New Zealand, whalers practiced what’s known as “shore-based” whaling, which requires them to process the whale carcasses on land, not at sea. Their employees, thus, became known as “wellermen.” From 1833, the Weller brothers made a name for themselves, supplying whalers in New Zealand with what they needed.
The Weller brothers were known then for shipping many important items, including luxury supplies like rum and gun powder. In 1831, the British-born trio of Weller brothers-Edward, George, and Joseph-who had emigrated to Sydney, Australia two years prior, created a whaling station at Otakou on the South Island of New Zealand. Whaling in New Zealand dates back to the late 1700s through the mid-20th Century. Check out Evans’ rendition of the song below. In 2021, Scottish singer Nathan Evans earned a viral hit on the social media platform TikTok for his cover of “The Wellerman.” The popularity of the track also led to a boon in popularity around sea songs, in general. 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. Known as “Soon May the Wellerman Come” as well as “Wellerman” or “The Wellerman,” the sea shanty from New Zealand dates back to 1860.Ī 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. So, it’s with this as the backdrop that the sea ballad, “The Wellerman,” the meaning of which is both curious and historical, was born in New Zealand 150 years ago.
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