What is the meaning of the song Wellerman?
Synopsis. The song’s lyrics describe a whaling ship called the Billy o’ Tea and its hunt for a right whale. The song describes how the ship’s crew hope for a “wellerman” to arrive and bring them supplies of luxuries.
What is the Wellerman song based on?
A “Wellerman” was an employee of the Sydney-based Weller Brothers’ shipping company, which from 1833 was the major supplier of provisions – such as the “sugar and tea and rum” of the shanty’s refrain – to whaling stations on New Zealand shores.
What is the capacity of the Ahoy Rotterdam?
Boasting a congress and meeting centre, six exhibition and event halls and the Ahoy Arena, Ahoy is a truly multifunctional venue in the Rotterdam Zuid district. Its capacity ranges from two to 11,300 people.
When the tonguing is done meaning?
The sailors also sing “one day, when the tonguing is done, we’ll take our leave and go”. In the song, tonguing refers to “cutting long strips of blubber, known as tongues, off the carcass of the beached whales”, John Archer writes on folksong.org.nz.
How did Wellerman go viral?
Global interest in ShantyTok began when a postman called Nathan Evans, who lives near Glasgow in Scotland, posted a video on TikTok of him singing “Soon May The Wellerman Come”, a 19th-century shanty sung by sailors crewing ships owned the Weller brothers, founders of a whaling station in New Zealand.
What does tonguing mean in whaling?
‘Tonguing’ refers to the tonguers, men who would cut up the whales on shore; they also often acted as intepreters with Māori communities, who also worked as part of the whaling crews.
What is tonguing in sailing?
The “tonguing” in the Wellerman lyrics refers to cutting strips of blubber to render into oil in large “try pots” — a challenging process aboard ship. The crew also required land on which to live and cultivate food.
How old is The Wellerman song?
NZ Folk Song * Soon May The Wellerman Come. From 1833 onwards, the Wellermen, on ships owned by Weller Brothers of Sydney, supplied provisions to New Zealand shore whaling stations from their base at Otakou.
Where is Nathan Evans from?
Airdrie, United KingdomNathan Evans / Place of birth
What is tonguing in whaling?
Whaling was a brutal business. ‘Tonguing’ refers to the tonguers, men who would cut up the whales on shore; they also often acted as intepreters with Māori communities, who also worked as part of the whaling crews.