In The Heart of the Sea: The Comedy of the Whaleship Essex

A tune written for our 11th grade English class, long before thhe big screen adaptation. Pretty, pretty dumb. Many an artistic liberty taken in the interest of rhyming.
Thanks to Nathaniel Philbrick for giving us his blessing.
Thanks to Michael Venable (Mixhael Vwenabke) for shooting.
Thanks to Lisa Bumbulucz (née Harsen) for putting up with us.
Guest appearance by Chelsi Jolly.

[@tessbessette5365]

imagine being the report after this lmao

[@goodnessgracious9166]

Tess Bessette lol😂

[@ramroom619]

Maybe every two were assigned a different book (lets hope so)

[@shim2dawg]

@@ramroom619 still tho

[@samimeh5651]

f

[@wrickel0727]

F

[@mightbetraffic]

Telling my kids this was Simon and Garfunkel

[@satsumasalanewt4007]

Sean Cappiello haha their style does have a hint of Simon and Garfunkel doesn’t it?

[@eliweiss4118]

@@satsumasalanewt4007 Josh Turner is on the Simon and Garfunkel story now

[@neadlessfuzz3637]

THEY CALL ME BABY DRIVER

[@coltz-pun7871]

Wait, they aren't?

[@oliverpilling4887]

Satsuma Salanewt nn

[@johnjenks250]

Drake and Josh as intellectuals

[@Parveen-sh4vv]

Yes

[@mynameisnotbruce6686]

Carson and Josh

[@RubbelisPro]

HUG ME BROTHA

[@somekidwithacomputer2939]

Happy to be the thousandth person to like this comment

[@anronjatu7535]

Drake and Josh got nothing on these boys

[@leonardroemer7796]

"a minor setback" - goes to C minor

[@davidpulanco2715]

I just noticed that!

[@nathanjames.traditionalcou6051]

I know right. Genius

[@th3magicpotato]

Yes! Don't you just love word painting?

[@darealkokujinz1503]

They pulled a sneaky on us

[@justanothergamer7918]

Omg I just realized that. Great music joke on their part.

[@robertbrotherton2541]

And they got an F because this was in fact.... Algebra class.....

[@MrSchulta]

Only a minor setback

[@magnusbell5410]

@@MrSchulta chase said to himself

[@Rouverius]

@@magnusbell5410 If I can find teacher's ex, my grade will fix itself.

[@sadsnail755]

Sounds like a major problem to me

[@dabj9546]

It's in B though

[@xyddam7550]

the fact that they pulled *cluster-problem* in school makes me so happy

[@xyddam7550]

ok your school is officially the coolest one on the planet

[@xyddam7550]

a couple of my teachers either just sent us to the principal's office or made us do some odd amount of push-ups. it was kinda extreme if you ask me

[@SuperCraft1999]

I never had any problem cursing in school. My Dutch teacher even showed us a vulgar comedy skit based on play on word jokes

[@2s4in28]

Tad Cooper cool but the joke is better now the did it

[@magnusbreinholt350]

what schools dont allow you to curse lol

[@imkabochan]

Thank whoever fixed the recommendation algorithm. This is gold.

[@imkabochan]

holy shit, I found this video by mistake again, went down the comments to say something and saw this. wtf so many likes over this.

[@Shepherd_of_Fire]

ClumsyAmbivert strange

[@amyshoemaker8430]

@@imkabochan kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIHMo6mQr6x5eKc

[@sith_kermie]

Amen to that

[@teunkiewiet840]

Guy: plays harmonica People: you have achieved comedy

[@elliothytinen5712]

Guy: Plays spoons People: you have achieved god level

[@ChitFromChinola]

Sheesh, that’s a lot of talent and creativity - and guts - for a couple of high school kids. Thanks for posting.

[@tangyorange6509]

I wrote a song for a Spanish project last year for school, it was a song about beans.

[@Igotknobblies]

And would have been really cool as well as earning respect!

[@JusBidniss]

So in the 11th grade, these guys were writing clever comedic lyrics summarizing _Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex,_ complete with major and minor plot points, correct usage of nautical jargon, and understanding the story so well they could satirize it. When I was in the 11th grade, I occupied myself angling around trying to catch a glimpse of Mary Sue's shapely gams, deciphering the mysteries of the graffiti on a desk older than me, and calculating how many seconds until free period.

[@TeamPill]

I mean, it's a summary. I feel like most people learned that in 2nd grade. Nonetheless, it's a great performance and difficult to make and pull off.

[@cruzcontrol1303]

“Shapely Jams” did you go to school in the 1890s smh

[@JusBidniss]

@@cruzcontrol1303 Close! :) But don't knock it. A nice pair of gams to gaze at will get you through a really boring class.

[@tomvanlieshout524]

Dude you write really well. Honestly.

[@JusBidniss]

@@tomvanlieshout524 Thank you!

[@skaty00]

This is pure gold😂😂 idk how the other students keep such composure, I woulda been losing my mind watching these Simon & Garfunkel lookin muthafuckers 😂😂😂

[@magnusbell5410]

oof

[@amidtheruins02]

Wtf

[@MrSchulta]

Mothaproblems***

[@andrewlinesjah4538]

ha ha ha ...

[@TeamPill]

most people aren't fucking children

[@jexnoofficial]

"only a minor setback" plays a minor chord when they say minor I love lyrical cues

[@yousifosman415]

Thay missed one thing. A MINOR setback PLAYS C MINOR

[@h.c.49]

Word painting

[@spartanclucky884]

@@h.c.49 Correction. Absolutely amazing word painting.

[@nateellis5939]

“What’s your favorite song from The Other Favorites?” *me as an intellectual*

[@yriafehtivan]

This but unironically.

[@deborahchapman222]

This one is my favorite but unfortunately they will no longer perform it. Apparently, Carson strongly objects to it 😕. I had an opportunity to tell Carson that this song truly showed what geniuses they were even at such a young age. He shyly thanked me. He is very humble young man. BTW, they made an A on it.

[@evanrobinson9807]

I'm an English teacher, and I would give that an easy 100- better than reading trash reports... hope my students don't read this. Edit: I feel it necessary to clarify for those who fail to recognize this is written 'tongue-and-cheek'. I always gave my students creative outlets in the classroom. I was simply making light of the contrast between the creative excellence of this compared to the dry nature of a written report. I think teachers should always provide students with those opportunities. They should also help students learn how to write. Both are important.

[@user-mk5vj5bf3j]

Wtf Mr. Robinson....

[@user-mk5vj5bf3j]

I thought my report was good tho :(

[@evanrobinson9807]

@@user-mk5vj5bf3j oh, it was, and I totally read all of it :)

[@user-mk5vj5bf3j]

@@evanrobinson9807 you did ??? Fuuuu...

[@daniellindegaard7542]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@parkerthefrost4172]

minor setback that I didn't see this til now.

[@saman-ky6uf]

parkerthefrost This is an underrated comment 😂

[@themadlad_]

agreed

[@danielrobu9559]

Indeed

[@leoturner2310]

To anyone wondering, they made an A. I met them in Seattle tonight and asked them after their excellent set with Reina and Tony.

[@thebarefootadventurer8467]

It deserves an A+ with that amount of talent! I can right anything for the life of me

[@kaizer8341]

Stop the cap

[@redrock1963]

I wanna applaud the teacher for allowing this.

[@teuast]

I had an English teacher in high school who had the entire class divide into production teams and each group would make a movie parody of a subset of the books we'd read in her class. My group decided to take characters from the main books, put them in a high school class, and have them make a movie parody of the books they'd read in their class, except instead of being mainstays of American and English literature, their books were our history textbook, the third Harry Potter, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The only word that adequately describes this movie is "disasterpiece." It's a 17-minute nonsensical clusterfuck full of side plots that don't go anywhere, jokes that explicitly make no sense, and one scene that features Harry, Ron, and Hermione urgently strategizing on how to prevent the Very Hungry Caterpillar from eating the US Constitution. At one point, it cuts to a commercial for a Shamwow-for-language for the specific purpose of fulfilling an assignment requirement for using vocabulary terms immediately before a climactic, and gratuitously violent, fight scene between the protagonists' production team and a rival production team that kind of appeared out of nowhere, but also justified their existence by referring to a deceptively minor plot point from a couple of scenes before, which is the one time in the entire movie the script veers dangerously close to "trying to be actually good." But my favorite joke in the movie is the absolute mockery that is made of eyewear continuity. The "teacher" character takes off his glasses every time the camera cuts to him, but is never seen putting them on, while Huckleberry Finn has a pair of shades mysteriously appear on his face between two adjacent shots of him, and neither is ever acknowledged or explained. We got the only A+ across all of that teacher's classes and she liked it so much she kept a copy on DVD to show every time she did that assignment in the future. And it is also on my channel.

[@justinking5153]

I gotchu 1k

[@jakobfalthammar8357]

That was awesome! I'm an English teacher and my students will from now on have the option to do all of their future assignments as a song instead. Thank you for the inspiration. :D

[@corqondisplay6743]

more teachers should do that

[@quinnmarchese6313]

the trick my best teachers did was to never define what the project had to be, just the content that needed to be covered. You'll get plenty of powerpoints and posters, but the creatives will always do something like this.

[@MsEpicdemon]

Hey I’m really curious, do any of your students say your last name or are you just know commonly as “Mr. F”.

[@DippyDyes]

Have you implemented this option?

[@dddy_dtrt]

My English teacher makes us write summaries for the plays we read and gives us the option to rap it so long as we can find someone who can beatbox. Needless to say, almost everyone in my school knows how to beatbox and we have beatboxing tournaments in the gym during lunch.

[@squigg7107]

The spoon solo after the cannibalism verse was comedic gold. I can’t believe the class didn’t go wild for that.

[@hejsans1948]

So this is why all teachers wanted us to sing our presentations all of a sudden..

[@astridbjurbo]

hejsan

[@sanaa1294]

hejsan

[@samguy7587]

Lmao indeed, they did that at your school too huh?

[@jackbrodersen]

hejsan

[@boston_nsca]

Hejsan

[@samlucarelli5023]

The spoon solo in the middle of the cannibalism part really made the whole thing

[@SirForwyn]

This is one of the best things I've ever seen, whether it's the writing, the music, the performance, or the comedy.

[@Jaeun2986]

If they didn't get an A+ for this, I'm sueing the teacher.

[@LindelBro]

"Only a minor setback" uses C minor chord (sea minor). Genius.

[@guitarzan31]

While you sounded great (especially for 11th graders!), I can’t help but feel you missed a glorious opportunity: to play this in the key of...Sea. I’ll show myself out...

[@cappuccinocoffee9734]

oh you poor thing

[@Enogimka]

Can you BE Sharper with your subtle pun. 👌

[@shootmanthisiswack]

The joke would've been great if performed NATURALly

[@deanomats]

After saying that you should wash your mouth with a barre of soap

[@michaelhughes5890]

deedeebtw I’m sure it was only an accidental.

[@KarlBast]

Damn. These guys beat us all to Sea Shanties by a solid 11 years.

[@lafoonxiii5311]

Well... This isn't really a sea shanty, so...

[@frasermartin345]

And pirates beat everyone by a few centuries

[@maxwellhopkins6763]

Lyrics if anyone is wondering: (Disclaimer: I'm getting the lyrics directly from listening to the video so there will probably be some inaccuracies and words or phrases I misheard but this is the best I can do) [1st Verse] Well the Essex, she was a lucky ship, a-captained by George Pollard But when she left port for a journey of sorts, she never could have reckoned one fowler She was a whaling ship about 85 feet, with a crew that numbered 20 She was headed on around to The Offshore Ground, a whaling land of plenty Four days in just past Cape Cod, they were faced with an oncoming gale They tried to turn around, but they got knocked down because they never shorted sail [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," Pollard said to Chase "And if we press on through, we'll be right back in the race" [2nd Verse] Later on off the South American coast, the watch shouted "thar she blows!" And a rite too, they had the beast harpooned, and the blood and oil did flow Their eyes looked rabid as they tore apart the flesh, and laid it out to dry Not a-one of them frowned as they boiled it down, and smoked furled up to the sky [3rd Verse] They finally sailed to The Offshore Ground, and they thought they were in luck Thought there was no doubt when they saw spout it would soon become a clusterf... problem Chase had returned to repair his stroud, while the other boat stayed on the hunt His eyes grew wide as the gazed port side, and was met with a whales full brunt When Pollard pulled up in his own little launch he could see that Chase was pail (Spoken) He asked, "my God, Mr. Chase, what is the matter?" To which Chase responed: (Sung) "We've been stoved by a whale" [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," Pollard said to Chase "And if we press on through, we'll be right back in the race" [4th Verse] So they gathered up some water and so hardtack too, but they didn't wanna leave the wreck Pollard said "no," Matthew Joy said "yes," so they all said "what the heck" As for just which way to sail, none of them could agree But it was decided for the best not to sail to the west, the ultimate irony [5th Verse] They tried to sail west but they wind brew bad so they drifted and sailed to the south Soon thing turned dire they began to perspire, and their tongue shriveled up in their mouth [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," Pollard croaked to Chase "And if we can just find an island we'll be right back in the race" [6th Verse] No sooner had those words escaped his mouth that they heard a weak "land ho!" There were smiles all around at the island they found, and they pulled the boats into a cove And just a few days it was no surprise when Pollard said "seems to me." That the food's run low so we'll have to go, and they set back out to sea Joy grew ill as the storm came up that couldn't be placated He was hangin by a thread and soon his was dead, and the boats got separated [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," Chase said to himself As he and his crew nurse their deteriorating health [Spoken Verse] Now this is the point in the book when things really began to go south for the crew of the Essex, both literally and metaphorically. On Chase's boat their rations were cut to 1.5 ounces of hardtack a day, which of course was half of half of their original rations--which in the first place wasn't enough to sustain the life of an adult man. But it was much better than the situation on Hendrick's and Pollard's boat, where they had run out of food entirely. As they sat around and stared at each other in the hot sun, they began to dream of more imaginative ways to curve their hunger. [7th Verse] The first man died and they jumped on him with much ferocity They cut off his head then his feet and his hands and tossed them into the sea Then they went for the liver and the heart, for you know they taste the best With their [ravenous?] paws and their ravenous jaw, as they greedily tore the rest [8th Verse] By the time they were sighted by a whaling ship, there were but five men left They were sucking on bones, spoke only in moans with dignity devoided breath [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," the crewmen said to Chase "And if we get back to Nantucket we'll be right back in the race"

[@bramsteenhoek2674]

I think it's 'what followed' in an accent instead of 'one fowler' in the forst verse but other than that seems good

[@Issaaay260]

Thank you for these lyrics.

[@The_Great_Wrennicles_the_IV]

You are a scholar and a saint, thank you!

[@gc7956]

You're the man !

[@dlbstl]

Thank you for the lyrics!🥰

[@harriet2525]

the harmony on minor setback is really nice

[@blue5slow]

Jesus Christ the dudes hand to the right must've been on fire after barring chords pretty much the whole song

[@ashuri599]

barre chords aren't that tiring though

[@dddy_dtrt]

Barre chords are pretty difficult

[@yeetyoink2955]

Ikr!

[@BeefGeneral]

@@ashuri599 I've been playing guitar for 12 years and full songs of barre chords still make my hands cramp a little.

[@XYZip1]

@@ashuri599 even with decent string tension it still gets tiring if you don't hold an open shape once in a while

[@nickstoneofficial]

Coming back to this legendary video now that sea shanties are trending

[@whyboth3r266]

everytime they set "only a minor setback" my ears feel so blessed

[@barrethansen2158]

It might be dumb but every couple of months or so I have an uncontrollable urge to hear it again!

[@Issaaay260]

Lol... Not dumb. Me too!

[@barrethansen2158]

After KZbin reminded me of it today, I just had to watch it one more time.

[@sofiasilva007]

I also watch it every so often . It just cheers me up, it’s so pure!

[@frankb1]

This tune is now stuck in my head.

[@absolving]

Josh: *plays three notes on harmonica* The class: *laughter*

[@zachsmith3]

They’re just not used to the instrument

[@DaveRucci]

Pro-tip... “Fustercluck is totally acceptable in class”. Thanks for that mighty tale boys! 🙌🏻

[@jordynk2976]

Everyone fell in love with them after this, I swear.

[@blest7133]

Why did I get reccomended this for no reason? And why am I standing up and applauding like a mad lad

[@adisgracecalledgrace4580]

I will always come back and watch this.

[@inkmaster5480]

This is the kind of thing that KZbin was made for.

[@thragblan]

How is this not on the main channel?! Deserves as wide as audience as possible. Inspired!

[@brij4174]

Now you have to do an entire album of history ballads. I'll buy it.

[@connorangelini]

Very different genre, but you should listen to sabaton.

[@sarasweetest]

I’m a senior English teacher, looking up ways to teach this book. Literally grinned at this from beginning to end! So proud of you guys!!!

[@stone6025]

the fact that this song is actually good is amazing they turned a legit book report into a song

[@phasecracker6538]

It’s crazy that they’re on tour together these days

[@startingfingerstyle]

Retired British teacher, here..... If students of mine had turned in a homework assignment like this I would have been delighted.... Play to your talents in life.... they did exactly what was asked of them, but in a way few will ever forget seeing or hearing. Two exceptionally talented individuals. Loved it, thanks.

[@Issaaay260]

I keep coming back to this. This is nothing short of a masterpiece.

[@edwardscott2498]

English teacher: Good Job. 97%. Well done.

[@mccoolot]

If I were your teacher back then, I could exempt you guys from joining my class and focus on composing song about the class for your final exam. 😂

[@STILLPHENOM]

May the friendship of you two last centuries..

[@twiningsirishbreakfasttea3826]

I was looking for good sea shanties & this is the best thing I possibly could have found.

[@proffd972]

Who would imagine Josh started this sea shanty craze.

[@kaspeezook2675]

All jokes aside, that was not just well written, but executed incredibly!

[@rogerdodger5415]

These fellas have been at it for a long time!! Talented!

[@Katie_Argo]

I can’t believe that they have a band together now. What a start to a band

[@CatsPajamas23]

Dumb??? This is adorable. I hope you guys got an A+.

[@flippetskater]

I've watched this an embarrassing number of times today. It's simply too delightful. 💗

[@WykedJester75]

Probably one of the most creative and entertaining book reports I've ever seen.

[@timmyteaching]

easy harmony by these guys. impressive.

[@poetcomic1]

LOVE that early 'Smothers Brothers' comic vibe.

[@JasonRobinsonidaho]

holy crap you guys are good. love it.

[@juanfelipearango1930]

They were living the time of their lives! I wish there was a way to know when you are in the good old days before you are already past them.

[@fireball7562]

The Harmonize so well with their voices

[@havenhemmings3574]

Two of the most talented on KZbin.

[@samwilson5122]

11th grade in America looks calm. In the uk I spent the whole year tearing my hair out about a huge set of exams

[@sonofliberty8872]

Now I can’t speak for 11th grade, because I quit public school during my 8th, but I’d be willing to bet UK and US classrooms look almost identical in how it’s conducted.

[@JoshuaDanielsJD]

Incredible imagination and talent. These kids will go far in life. Also very impressed that this clearly looks like a public district school (as opposed to a private school) well done all around. Huge education success.

[@budandbean1]

Alright, this is so cool watching where the musical genius came from... And also the comedy stylings of Carson. I can just imagine that he is hilarious when it's just you two guys together, is that the way he really is or not? Buddy

[@beverlycashin4320]

I'm impressed by the vocal harmonies.

[@richardbrotzman3152]

Is there anything you can't do? You play just about every stringed instrument imaginable, plus harmonica and spoons, and now comedy as well. Gotta love it!

[@nidesvp]

And some years later THE OTHER FAVORITES became famous musicians and sound in Spain's national Radio3 (country program TomaDiez) with the Ballad of John McCrae! Congrats and well done!

[@Larmoia]

The song reminds me of the whole story in less than 6 mins.. great work!

[@nachodrops6503]

every few months i come across this video again and i am impressed every time

[@apenaskaliel_]

I just can't get enough of coming here

[@remlya]

Amazing. So glad this was recorded.

[@lewistaylor1965]

Pure talent...

[@Adam-hs1ft]

I would love to see the two of you do another recording of this. It's so unbelievably clever.

[@Dogtles]

How do you get this cool and smooth as a high school teenager. Me and everyone I knew as a teenager was an embarrassing awkward mess.

[@davidsiedschlag6961]

Greatest song ever. I hope this is on the set list.

[@quivvjeccy1987]

This gives me 1980s school vibes.

[@RickFoxChicken]

There are certain school projects when I decided to use my creativity. But this here.. this is a masterpiece

[@angerock49]

The harmonies are awesome!

[@JessicaVanHusen]

This showed up on auto play after a Beatles cover. What a treat!

[@lenkipgen9950]

This is what I called friendship

[@richardg646]

You know that these two were truly good friends to be able to do this so easily as a team it’s as if they were just there to have fun and did a fantastic job entertaining at the same time. We all could only have hoped to have had such a good friend at that age. May that friendship last forever!

[@sidney4211]

Imagine being in the same year or class as these legends

[@josephregalado2397]

What a plucky delight! I am humbled by this kids brilliance. Him, and his pool of talented friends are constantly impressing me with their virtuoso and love for all of the selections they choose.

[@alexr2477]

These kids deserve a medal

[@dwightb]

As ever you guys are fantastic!! Josh, is nothing you can't play? Guitar for sure, banjo for sure, mandolin for sure (anything with strings) but now harmonica and spoons no less? You are a star!!!

[@deborahchapman222]

The best book report....EVER...😅

[@TheIAMsKid]

watch this everytime it shows up in my feed

[@aloyad71]

If I'm following them , I would say my dog ate my report.🤣

[@macaroon147]

That joke is almost as bland as your name.

[@mjs2016]

@@macaroon147 underrated reply

[@sonofliberty8872]

@@macaroon147 Dang you have a cool name. I was going to make fun of it, but now I don’t want to

[@nachodrops6503]

i come back and watch this vid every once in a while because holy moly it’s good

[@MrWiggo91]

I don't know how I've ended up here but I'm glad I did. That was a fantastic performance. Get it on Spotify!

[@hafsa_hanafi]

That was the BEST thing I have seen in a while.

[@CityWhisperer]

The description says it has been adapted to the big screen, but I don't understand if it's referring to the song or the book that they are singing about.

[@TracesOflnk]

Mikel Sopelana Durango I’m assuming you’ve figured it out by now but for other people who might be wondering - the book was made into a filma couple years back with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland. It’s a bit. intense (as one would expect what with all the cannibalism) but worth checking out if you’re into this sort of thing!

[@apupzuck]

I have just recently been through my first breakup, and today was one of the rough days. I was searching the internet for something to take away the pain for a bit and this did the trick! For that I wanted to say, thank you gentlemen.

[@MrAucklandguy]

Unbelievably awesome since forever it seems

[@JohnDoe-bu3ev]

i keep coming back to this, and i really think they peaked -- this is the best thing ever

[@josephconsoli4128]

You guys were good right from the beginning. You make getting up in front of people look soooo easy.

[@powerpopaholic876]

I'm really impressed. Great song.

[@MrOhmygoditsben]

A ridiculous amount of talent from these kids. The songwriting talents they possess are way beyond their years. I'd love to see where these kids are now.

[@rocinantedelamancha7437]

kzbin.info/aero/PL3E90895DAC97683B kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqaXd5Klp95qbdU

[@Zikopiko04]

I wanna thank you two cause u was really tense but when I heard you two's voices I relaxed and that was really what I needed