The Wellerman Sea Shanty - A Cappella

Soon May the Wellerman Come is a sea shanty, recently gone TikTok viral as a #seashanty #shantytok, thanks to Nathan Evans and Longest Johns. Please enjoy my a cappella (sort of) barbershop cover of this traditional #wellerman sea shanty whaling song!
Sea shanties aimed at creating a sense of community and shared purpose: a shantyman would lead sailors in song as they worked, distracting them from their toil, enlivening their tasks and establishing a rhythm.
This original arrangement is meant for acapella male voices, a quartet or choir / chorus.
► MY WEBSITE (LEARNING TRACKS & SHEET): julienneel.com
► SUPPORT MY ART: / trudbol
--- LYRICS
There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of that ship was the Billy of Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
Blow, me bully boys, blow
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go
She'd 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)
No line was cut, no whale was freed
The captain's mind was not on greed
But he belonged to the whaleman's creed
She took that ship in tow

[@Canadian_Ry]

Soon may the Trudbol come to bring us singing, and tunes and fun! Then when the singing is done we'll leave a like and go!!

[@JulienNeel]

Haha perfect!

[@thomasoates3003]

Somebody arrange this. Now

[@tenkaiechi01]

There once was a man who liked to sing Yes, singing was his favorite thing, His voice was strong, his tone was bright So let that song be heard! There was no song he would not try, And he is quite good that is no lie He is well known and we all know why Im telling you, My word. Hwaa!

[@tenkaiechi01]

nothing. This isnt easy... Geez..

[@tenkaiechi01]

@@thomasoates3003 Done. 1st and second verse. my brain is fried now :p

[@jaycewraley4724]

Cant go wrong with the original but with trudbol doing it is a nice change😊

[@KooShnoo]

The tiktok trend has given me an appetite for sea shanties. With your voice, it was perfect!

[@JulienNeel]

Feel free to sing along, loud n' proud! :)

[@danpontello226]

As someone who’s been into shanties since before the new trend, I love this.

[@noobiusmaximus6314]

I honestly thought this might be a straightforward cover, but the interplay of the various tones (especially between 0:24 and 0:34) is amazing. So many little changes that make this version stand out.

[@MadHatter42]

Just what I was thinking. He really made it his own, mixing in a dash of his own barbershop flavor to the existing sea shanty style. And honestly, what good is doing a cover if you're just gonna do the same thing we heard last time? Give us something fresh, new, and you, and Trudbol delivered!

[@bernhardscharnowsky1990]

Yeah thats true, he has such a great understanding of cadences that totally increases the dramatic of every following verse!

[@nathanhelgesen521]

It's a barbershop arrangement. Very specific type of arranging. And it's great!

[@iciclecold2991]

As expected, your version is unique. Makes me happy.

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you!

[@iciclecold2991]

@@JulienNeel listening to you sing is something that always makes me happy. Me and my mom listen to you together and sing along in the car.

[@burnellsmith9403]

Sea shanties really are one of my favorite I am so glad you did this

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@Silversnapdragon]

I love this song with some deep bass, but I really like your barbershop spin on it. Thank you for sharing, this was very well done!!!

[@TheMrstinkpickle]

Dude, I use to watch your content years ago. I’m so glad you’re still around. Your voice is awesome.

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks! I never stopped. :)

[@lilwhitefawn]

I LOVE your arrangement! The harmonies are candy to my ears! 🤩

[@Ekelihan]

C'est magnifique ! Merci Julien !

[@Dragoo417]

Love it ! I like the personal take on the harmonies (in contrast with the bajillion covers we have already). Keep up the great work !

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you!

[@Kvantvideo]

The first one on the right is my face when I found out that a new video is coming out!

[@JulienNeel]

Haha! :)

[@lennybuttz2162]

I like sea shanties this was great, liked the bottle blowing. I also like the bawdy sea shanties, they make me giggle.

[@TheLionsDenNews]

Spot on! And now I know that it is Wellerman and not Weatherman. Shows you how out of the loop I've been the last few years.

[@steampunkemo9211]

I JUST GOT INTO THIS SONG!! I WAS JUUUSSTT THINKING (hey, how cool would it be if barbershop did this?) AND THE SECOND I THOUGHT THAT YOU POSTED THIS!! I'VE BEEN LISTENING FOR 2 HOURS NOW XD TIMING

[@Kelsenfeller]

Lovely new harmonies in this tune, love it! Also brilliant sung, as expected! 👌🏼

[@davidmckinney6577]

That was very beautiful job buddy 👍👌 you made my day Julien.. may God bless you and your family and keep you all safe 🙏

[@seabassmcbigfat]

Julien is always perfect. Been a fan for years, sir. Sang along with you many a morning.

[@sgtsonny]

Awesome arrangement, man!

[@ArtiArbel]

Brilliant! Yo're my vocal hero!

[@joeplavin]

Extremely high quality cover, as always wonderful job Julien

[@JamesDziezynski]

Y'arrrr this is awesome - great job on the performance and the production!

[@IamSamys]

Oh, the bully boys actually blew!

[@geraldarcuri9307]

WONDERFUL, Matey!

[@JulienNeel]

Aye! Thanks!

[@liamrobinson845]

amazing

[@myguitarhannah]

your arrangments are so amazing

[@MichaelSmith-on1ig]

Teh best version so far

[@aribraverman5478]

Can’t wait to see it!

[@JulienNeel]

Looking forward to your feedback!

[@rooster4011]

Trudbol ive been subscribed for like 5 years now and as soon as shanties started getting big again I thought. "Trudbol should do this." Its good to see a video of yours in my recommended again :)

[@mikeobrien7189]

Nice job!!!

[@benjaminprietop]

Loved the ending arrangement

[@gailsfoodandstuff]

Being that i only recently found your channel and watched every song, then donated and will do again soon, I was thrilled that you finally did another song. Please keep them coming. You are beyond talented.

[@JulienNeel]

Aww, thank you for your kind message. I'll do my best to keep the music coming!

[@nathanhelgesen521]

LOVE the barbershop arrangement!!

[@mnoranth]

Ooo this arrangement is amazing

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you!

[@DarenStratton]

I'm singing this with The Barnacles, singing tenor 1. It has a very catchy tune, and I absolutely love it

[@emilytolman46]

So awesome!

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you Emily, glad you liked it. Hope you sang along!

[@robincortez6586]

Aye, right nice sea shanty that is. 👌 Love your work. 😍❤

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@horvathgaborne301]

I look forward to the new song! I will definitely listen to him more times than I do the others. The day cannot pass without you !!

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you Violet! I hope you are feeling better and that your loved ones are safe.

[@horvathgaborne301]

@@JulienNeel Thank you Julien. . The family thank you is fine. I'll write.

[@KQuick86]

I was waiting for you to do this one💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

[@JulienNeel]

Woohoo! :)

[@TheMak445]

Bang on Trend :-) Good stuff.

[@reynarodriguez9742]

Imagine the Hamilsquad singing this! Hamilton: Lead Laurens: Tenor Lafayette: Bass Mulligan: Baritone

[@harleyludy6596]

I love the little barbershop sections you added! I know it's not fully barbershop, but it was nice to see the little 7th chords and ornamentations you added! Pretty sly!

[@docquanta6869]

Looking forward to hearing your version of this song.

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks! Hope you enjoy it

[@MinhGuitarPassion]

wau, how sweet you sing, bravo 🎉

[@SGmultitracks]

Love your version, so cool!

[@JulienNeel]

Danke sehr!

[@Borthax]

It would be nice to hear your version of Pique Baleine. A French whaler shanty.

[@nicolegoltsman5511]

that... was... SO GOOOD! thank you for this!

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

[@7elizabeht]

¡Extraordinario! Admiro tu voz y arreglos vocales.

[@lucasabele5664]

Wow! Solid singing!

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks!

[@lucasabele5664]

@@JulienNeel I love your songs keep up the good stuff!

[@IsaacAsimov1992]

Outstanding ...even by your lofty standards! Amazing images.

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you, much appreciated!

[@MoonbrickStudios]

seriously a great cover man you're so talented!

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you, much appreciated!

[@lipuz6026]

great as usual. You gotta love a good old sea shanty

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks! Yes, this was a blast to make.

[@puerlatinophilus3037]

Glad to know you're still alive and still rocking some a capella songs!

[@AT-zr9tv]

He never stopped making videos. It looks like you haven't been getting 'otified of his releases. Did you click the little notification bell next to the subscribe button?

[@puerlatinophilus3037]

@@AT-zr9tv Yes I did! I had all notifications on! That's another reason why I hate KZbin. The algorithm worsened a lot the last few years, I'm not getting notified about my favourite creators, 75% of the suggestions ARE VIDEOS I ALREADY WATCHED! I've been wishing for a good alternative to KZbin for YEARS. But I haven't found any. Edit: removed expletives

[@SuzyMcCheese]

@@puerlatinophilus3037 having the same prob. at least i'm not alone

[@giladlevitz3283]

I like it

[@constancepaolantonio8276]

Well, that was the best version I’ve heard!! So excellent in every way!

[@Valkoriom]

Loved

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you!

[@manuelgarciajr.5230]

Captain Trudbol! Let me join ye crew, captain (buddy)! 🏴‍☠️💪

[@mythicmunchkin]

It was very interesting hearing the different tones for this song!

[@JulienNeel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kateschroth3304]

He has such a great voice!

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you Kate!

[@alexbargain]

insane !!!

[@JulienNeel]

Haha, thanks!

[@fazewhisper1536]

I love all of his songs especially his song Hello Mary Lou and Sweet Aladaline

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks!

[@fazewhisper1536]

@@JulienNeel your welcome

[@FOURTOONESIBLINGS]

You are very talented!!! Thought for a minute that it was a set of sibblings

[@torgore5853]

Wow je m'attendais à un truc assez classique, mais tu m'as surpris de ouf ! Tu t'es vraiment approprié le truc et t'as fait tes propres partitions qui rajoutent bcp de couleurs

[@JulienNeel]

Merci, c'est sympa !

[@c0mpu73rguy]

You definitely should do more sea shanties!

[@MahoganyDesk]

Oh wow! You're so good at sea shanties! I hope sprinkle them in the future!

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you, glad you liked it! I'll give it another go down the line.

[@lennysummers19]

That was great

[@JulienNeel]

Domo arigatoo

[@JustYahAverageJoe]

sweet harmonies

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@cutiechick825]

nice do more please

[@Admiral8Q]

EXCELLENT! It's amazing you can sing this purely vocal and 'with yourself'. Heh heh! Cheers! I love it! - EDIT: Pretty good with the bottle too, lol. :P

[@meowmeowvinegar2967]

Thank you Quartet guy ! ^^ nice voice, good work ! May your youtube channel grow big ! You deserve it .

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you, hope you stick around for more videos! :)

[@rossnolan2883]

Fantastic 😊

[@JulienNeel]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@rossnolan2883]

@@JulienNeel thanks 😊

[@crazymanrus]

Очень круто получилось, действительно профессионально

[@sonyahannah]

I love this! Being a bit of a Luddite at heart, I never engage in TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, etc., so I'm not familiar with the song. But your version has immediately won my heart and spoiled me for any other. Ahoy, mate -- as Popeye used to say, "Weigh the mizzenmast and scuttle the portholes!"

[@Bluk34dewnxt3]

That's so weird. I recently discovered this song in a movie and looked it up a few days ago. Then you come out with this amazing piece. What are the odds?

[@marshdweller01]

More sea shanties! E.g. Haul Away Rosie, Roll the Old Chariot.

[@Markus0021]

I liked this a lot. Have you considered doing 'Reuben Ramzo'? I loved Arlo Guthrie's 'Reuben Clamzo' take-off.

[@donjaniovo6870]

I s'pose yer shanty's level o' chill come from whatever tis tenor's chewin' on, aye.

[@tylerleibengood5179]

I especially like the inclusion of the four part harmonies not present in the standard online representation of the song. Overall an outstanding barbershop arrangement of an otherwise triadic song. I only wish the tag was a bit longer and resolved major. Just a personal preference. Something like the end of “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” by Vocal Spectrum.

[@eustace2c2]

How about doing Grace Kelly by MIKA?

[@supersmashbro596]

is there a better fit for a barbershop quartet than a good old sea shanty?

[@digitaltrekkie]

A wonderful cover, as much as all your others! I noticed it looks like you placed something in your cheek for one of the tracks/parts of the song; is that an intentional technique to change the resonance/phonation of your voice for that part? (Less diction and more of a wah-wah backing?)

[@matijas7994]

Its very good, though i think there was no dominant 5th and that it was actualy minor 5th or even dominant 7th in the original song

[@JMDinOKC]

This is better than the Nathan Evans version. So there's been a burst of renewed interest in sea shanties?!? Go figure. Bok, Muir and Trickett did this song back in the 1970s, I think it was; and their harmony was good, but it was not nearly so boisterous and robust as this version. I'm glad you included the obligatory "Huh!"s.

[@anonymousaccordionist3326]

This is a fantastic arrangement! Having heard so many that have flooded the internet recently (good idea to capitalize on the popularity) it's great to hear a slightly different take. Do you have a version with the other versus for purchase/download anywhere?

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you! Yes, you'll find all my available library on my website: www.julienneel.com

[@eljordinio7647]

Wonder if he got inspired from Jared Hadley's version of this song. This was amazing

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks! No, Jared and I don't sing the same kind of music. His style is pop music, which relies on audio engineering (thick basses, pitch shifting, compression, etc.). I aim to sing like a regular average Joe quartet would. In fact my arrangements are available for sale on my website: www.julienneel.com

[@maithfull]

sea shanties are underrated lol

[@tj-hero]

ummm... can you make del vikings come go with me like you did 10 years ago? 🥺

[@maxlefou]

man i hope you subscribed to that collab project the longest johns did for that song

[@JulienNeel]

No, not aware of this collab. Do you have a link?

[@maxlefou]

@@JulienNeel sadly it's too late now, it's closed. too bad you missed it :/ Great job on the song btw :)

[@nemuchan]

A quand les chants de marin breton maintenant ? Ou alors tu en as déjà fait dans tes playlist youtube ?

[@flammydoodle]

I guess no departments use Mace or stun guns any more. It seems like they would have made some of these folks more compliant

[@vibraphonics]

Sounds fantastic, as always! What was that in your mouth though...?

[@JulienNeel]

A cottonball!

[@vibraphonics]

@@JulienNeel Is that a barbershop thing or a sea shanty thing? 😆

[@JulienNeel]

@@vibraphonics More like a guy running out of ideas to look like a "pirate". haha

[@jackmandu]

Really nice, Julien! Great acapella as always, well at least up until you played the bottle, but otherwise fantastic.

[@benwise6517]

Drunken Sailor when?

[@JulienNeel]

Yeah, good idea!

[@branflakes0909]

What were you holding in your cheek?

[@JulienNeel]

Cotton balls!

[@J_productionss]

YARRGH

[@JulienNeel]

ARR HARRRR HARRRRRR backatcha!

[@AndrewVelonis]

Well done. I find no fault with the harmony, the arrangement or the recording. I don't understand the song, though.

[@IamSamys]

It's about the crew of a whaling ship, in pursuit of a whale. In other versions, it's revealed that the destructive hunt is neverending and the Wellerman, who stands to profit from more and more supply runs to the crew, encourages the whale hunt. The crew may wish to leave, but while there's work to be done, they cannot. Sea shanties are both about life at sea and about work on the ship, and it reflects what people went through during the time at which Wellerman, a real company, employed them.

[@spongebobsquarepants8403]

This is beautiful, it's such a shame you didn't sing the full song to it's full length, I know you're all about short songs and all, but this song should've been longer

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks! I hear you, but each verse was harmonized differently, it's a lot of work! Not all the songs I release are that short, though.

[@tenkaiechi01]

aww. just a min an 1/2 It was awesome but i was hoping for at least 4 verses :3

[@JulienNeel]

Thanks! Yeah, I hear you. Each of the 3vverses I sang had its own original harmonization, it's work!

[@tenkaiechi01]

@@JulienNeel Clearly. I have a mid tenor to baritone range. no way i could hit those low notes. Great Job.

[@JulienNeel]

@@tenkaiechi01 Thanks! I'm a baritone too, right in the middle. My comfort zone is low Bb2 to high F, so a few notes in this arrangement in Cmin were a bit low for my voice too (low Gs and low Fs). Thank goodness for microphones, eh? :)

[@danieldelanoche2015]

I mean...it's not a sea shanty lol. Still I love this song and I love one-man quartets!

[@AT-zr9tv]

This song is a sea shanty. Why do you think otherwise?