Wellerman
Am [Verse 1] Am There once was a ship that put to sea Dm Am And the name of the ship was the Billy of Tea Am The winds blew hard, her bow dipped down E Am O blow, my bully boys, blow Chorus: F C Soon may the Wellerman come Dm Am To bring us sugar and tea and rum F C One day, when the tonguin’ is done, E Am We’ll take our leave and go [Verse 2] Am She had not been two weeks from shore Dm Am When down on her a right whale bore Am The captain called all hands and swore E Am He'd take that whale in tow Chorus: F C Soon may the Wellerman come Dm Am To bring us sugar and tea and rum F C One day, when the tonguin’ is done, E Am We’ll take our leave and go [Verse 3] Am Before the boat had hit the water Dm Am The whale's tail came up and caught her Am All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her E Am When she dived down below Chorus: F C Soon may the Wellerman come Dm Am To bring us sugar and tea and rum F C One day, when the tonguin’ is done, E Am We’ll take our leave and go [Verse 4] Am No line was cut, no whale was freed; Dm Am The Captain's mind was not of greed Am But he belonged to the whaleman's creed; E Am She took the ship in tow Chorus: F C Soon may the Wellerman come Dm Am To bring us sugar and tea and rum F C One day, when the tonguin’ is done, E Am We’ll take our leave and go [Verse 5] Am For forty days, or even more Dm Am The line went slack, then tight once more Am All boats were lost (there were only four) E Am But still that whale did go Chorus: F C Soon may the Wellerman come Dm Am To bring us sugar and tea and rum F C One day, when the tonguin’ is done, E Am We’ll take our leave and go [Verse 6] Am As far as I've heard, the fight's still on; Dm Am The line's not cut and the whale's not gone Am The Wellerman makes his regular call Dm Am To encourage the Captain, crew, and all Chorus: F C Soon may the Wellerman come Dm Am To bring us sugar and tea and rum F C One day, when the tonguin’ is done, E Am We’ll take our leave and go.
Текст песни:
The song is believed to have been written in New Zealand around 1860–1870.[3] While its authorship is unknown, it may have been written by a teenage sailor or shore whaler[9] and may have served as a “cutting-in shanty” that whalers would sing as they slaughtered a whale.[10] It was originally collected around 1966 by New Zealand-based music teacher and folk song compiler Neil Colquhoun[11] from one F. R. Woods. Woods, who was in his 80s at the time, had allegedly heard the song, as well as the song “John Smith A.B.”, from his uncle. The song “John Smith A.B.” was printed in a 1904 issue of The Bulletin, where it was attributed to one D.H. Rogers. It is possible that Rogers was the uncle of Woods and that Rogers had worked as a teenaged sailor or shore whaler in the early-mid 19th century, composing both songs in his later years and eventually passing them on to his nephew as an old man.[1] In 1973, “Soon May the Wellerman Come” was included in Colquhoun’s book of New Zealand folk songs, New Zealand Folksongs: Songs of a Young Country.