Wellerman – English Lyrics
Lyrics & Translation
[English]
There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
O blow, my bully boys, blow (huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin' is done
We'll take our leave and go
She had not been two weeks from shore
When down on her, a right whale bore
The captain called all hands and swore
He'd take that whale in tow (huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin' is done
We'll take our leave and go
Da-da, da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
Da-da, da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da
Before the boat had hit the water
The whale's tail came up and caught her
All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
When she dived down low (huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin' is done
We'll take our leave and go
No line was cut, no whale was freed
The captain's mind was not on greed
And he belonged to the whaleman's creed
She took the ship in tow (huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin' is done
We'll take our leave and go
Da-da, da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
Da-da, da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da
For 40 days, or even more
The line went slack, then tight once more
All boats were lost, there were only four
But still that whale did go (huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin' is done
We'll take our leave and go
As far as I've heard, the fight's still on
The line's not cut and the whale's not gone
The Wellerman makes his regular call
To encourage the captain, crew, and all (huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin' is done
We'll take our leave and go
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin' is done
We'll take our leave and go
...
Key Vocabulary
| Vocabulary | Meanings |
|---|---|
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ship /ʃɪp/ A2 |
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blow /bloʊ/ B1 |
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whale /weɪl/ B2 |
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captain /ˈkæp.tɪn/ B1 |
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towe /toʊ/ B2 |
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rum /rʊm/ A2 |
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sugar /ˈʃʊɡər/ A2 |
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leave /liːv/ A2 |
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water /ˈwɔːtər/ A1 |
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fights /faɪts/ B2 |
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greed /ɡriːd/ C1 |
|
Key Grammar Structures
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There once was a ship that put to sea
➔ Existential 'there' + Past Simple
➔ This sentence uses the existential "there" to introduce the subject, "a ship." "There was" indicates the existence of something in the past. "Put to sea" is an idiom meaning to begin a voyage.
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The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
➔ Past Simple (describing actions in the past)
➔ Both "blew" and "dipped" are in the past simple tense, used to narrate past events in a sequential order. They vividly describe the ship's movement in response to the winds.
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Soon may the Wellerman come
➔ Inversion for Emphasis (Auxiliary verb + Subject + Main verb)
➔ The standard word order would be "The Wellerman may come soon." Inverting the auxiliary verb "may" with the subject "The Wellerman" adds emphasis and a sense of hopeful anticipation.
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To bring us sugar and tea and rum
➔ Infinitive of Purpose
➔ The infinitive "to bring" expresses the purpose of the Wellerman's coming. It explains why they are expected.
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When down on her, a right whale bore
➔ Inversion of adverbial phrase for emphasis + Past Simple.
➔ The standard word order would be "A right whale bore down on her." By inverting the adverbial phrase "down on her" to the beginning of the sentence, it emphasizes the suddenness and intensity of the whale's approach. 'Bore' is the past simple of 'bear', meaning to move quickly and powerfully in a specified direction.
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He'd take that whale in tow
➔ Conditional 'would' in past narratives
➔ "He'd" is a contraction of "He would". Here, "would" expresses the captain's intention or determination in the past. Even though the action didn't necessarily happen, "would" shows what he was prepared to do.
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The captain's mind was not on greed
➔ Past Simple of 'to be' + preposition 'on'
➔ This sentence uses the past simple of the verb "to be" ("was") to describe the captain's state of mind in the past. The preposition "on" indicates the object of his focus or attention.
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As far as I've heard, the fight's still on
➔ Present Perfect + Contractions + Present Continuous
➔ "I've heard" uses the present perfect to describe an action that started in the past and continues to have relevance in the present. "The fight's still on" uses a contraction for "the fight is" and the present continuous to indicate that the fight is ongoing.
