Soon May the Wellerman Come is an old shanty. Its title refers to the so-called ‘wellermen’, the supply ships owned by the English Weller brothers, who emigrated to New Zealand at the beginning of the 19th century. Thewhalers appearing in this song are hoping that such a ship with provisions like tea, sugar and rum, will soon arrive.

In 2020 and 2021, the versions by the British folk group The Longest Johns and the Scottish singer Nathan Evanswere huge hits on TikTok, leading to a shanty ra...