Description

The whaler's song Wellerman, which was probably written at the end of the 19th century and is reminiscent of Herman Melville's story Moby Dick, gained renewed popularity on the TikTok platform in 2021.

In terms of content, it is about the whaling ship Billy o 'Tea, which gets into a dicey situation just a few days after sailing due to contact with a whale. It has been at sea for so long that supplies are running low, but the captain does not want to travel home bagless. And so the crew eagerly awaits the arrival of the rescuing supply ship: the Wellerman.

This arrangement transports the audience to that legendary ship and captivates with its dramatic form, which in part even attempts to trace the story onomatopoeically.

Audio sample: