The harsh history behind the internet's favorite sea shanty

[NelsonG]

It's easy to see why "Soon May the Wellerman Come" became TikTok's first viral hit of 2021. This jaunty 19th century earworm, sung so earnestly by a  postman with a thick Scottish brogue, is perfect for remixing with multiple layers. 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. And shanties are perfect music for pandemic times. We've spent months in isolation, yearning for the day when this ship of weirdness will reach the port of normalcy. 

But at the risk of raining on the internet's fun, the cheeriness of the tune is deceptive. "Wellerman" reveals a harsh history of exploitation and cruelty, hiding in plain sight in the lyrics. 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. 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.  Read more...

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