600-year-old sea shanties have bizarrely taken over TikTok this week, thanks to Scottish singer Nathan Evans sharing his absolutely FIRE rendition of The Wellerman – a 19th-century New Zealand sea shanty about waiting for supplies of tea, sugar and rum sent by the Australian whaling company, Weller Brothers.
Who even knew that sea shanties could be so lit?
In the interest of giving credit where it’s actually due, @NathanEvanss started off this Wellerman chain
and @jonnytmstewart added the gentle thiccness ✨ pic.twitter.com/R5Lazj8Q0F— Peter Fries (@Peter_Fries) January 8, 2021
Incredible! I went down a bit of a rabbit hole after watching that and I have to say, I’m now all about the sea shanty life. SOON MAY THE WELLERMAN COME TO BRING US SUGAR AND TEA AND RUM!
A new challenger has arrived, and his name is Promise: https://t.co/pDi63kRU1W pic.twitter.com/P9I9dysUd4
— Peter Fries (@Peter_Fries) January 12, 2021
I found the best of #seashantytok pic.twitter.com/ellL5qfEoi
— Hayden Miller (@haydenmiller95) January 13, 2021
What is a sea shanty anyway? ITV explains:
The origin of the ditties stems from as far back as the 16th century, as those working out at sea sang them while carrying out laborious tasks.
The lyrics reflected the experiences of those working on the boats and ships, with some songs including the instructions to the tasks they were carrying out.
However, the beat of the song was always more important than the words, due to the fact they were there to encourage people during physical exercise.
In order to boost the muscle power on board boats, the rhythm of the songs would help the workers work in harmony, as the pulled together.
Additionally, the songs would build team spirit as they would also be sung during social events onboard.
Build team spirit indeed! I’m hyped every time I replay Nathan Evans singing The Wellerman. Definitely a guy you’d want on board when riding the seven seas. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be shopping for a kilt and spending the rest of the day on Sea Shanty TikTok. SOON WHEN THE WELLERMAN COMES TO BRING US SUGAR AND TEA AND RUM!
For a look the cringiest, most unhinged TikTok of all time, click HERE.
