I would like to add to Associated Press reporter David Sharp’s article “Yo, ho, ho, why sea shanties have a go” (Jan. 30, Page B2).
Bennett Konesni sings a sea shanty while raising a sail on his ketch in Belfast. Konesni started singing sea shanties aboard a schooner in Penobscot Bay and has since traveled the world studying work songs. The app TikTok helped sea shanties surge into the mainstream. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press
The recently famous TikTok rendition of “Soon May the Wellerman Come” is considered to be a ballad, which tells a story. A shanty is sung to help sailors keep time during particular tasks. Nonetheless, the “Wellerman” is a catchy tune that romanticizes seagoing life. The ship in the song was a whaler, which is indicated by the term “tonguing,” which (without going into details), refers to the butchering of a whale done on board. It is possible to visit the last surviving 19th-century wooden whaling vessel, the Charles W. Morgan, on display at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut to see how this was done.
“Wellerman” refers to the whaling and trading company Weller Brothers of New Zealand and Australia. The Wellerman would bring ship’s stores (groceries) and crew “wages,” which may have included “sugar and tea and rum,” but these items were not the cargo. Whale oil and parts were the cargo.
For anyone who enjoyed the “Wellerman” song and are interested in hearing more, there are other artists in addition to Bennett Konesni here in Maine who perform songs in this vein. The group Roll and Go (see: rollandgoseasongs.com) has a vast repertoire. The owners-operators and special guests of the magnificent schooner Victory Chimes (see: victorychimes.com), homeported in Rockland, feature live performances.
“Soon may the COVID go, and we can all sing together!”
Carolyn Vetro
Portland
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