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 |
|---|---|
|
ship /ʃɪp/ A2 |
|
|
wind /wɪnd/ A2 |
|
|
blow /bloʊ/ A2 |
|
|
bring /brɪŋ/ A2 |
|
|
sugar /ˈʃʊɡər/ A1 |
|
|
rum /rʌm/ A2 |
|
|
whale /weɪl/ B1 |
|
|
capture /ˈkæptʃər/ B2 |
|
|
creed /krið/ C1 |
|
|
tide /taɪd/ B2 |
|
|
fight /faɪt/ B1 |
|
|
together /tuˈɡɛðər/ A2 |
|
Key Grammar Structures
-
There once was a ship that put to sea
➔ Past simple tense
➔ The phrase "There once was" indicates a completed action in the past.
-
The captain called all hands and swore
➔ Past simple tense
➔ The use of "called" and "swore" shows actions that were completed in the past.
-
No line was cut, no whale was freed
➔ Passive voice
➔ The phrase "was cut" and "was freed" indicates that the subject is acted upon.
-
The Wellerman makes his regular call
➔ Present simple tense
➔ The phrase "makes his regular call" indicates a habitual action.
-
We'll take our leave and go
➔ Future simple tense
➔ The phrase "We'll take our leave" indicates a planned future action.
-
As far as I've heard, the fight's still on
➔ Present perfect tense
➔ The phrase "I've heard" indicates an action that has relevance to the present.
