Known as sea shanties, sailor songs are a genre of folk music that were sung by sailors during their voyages. These songs aimed to aid the sailors in their work like heaving the sails and lifting the anchors or during mundane tasks. In recent years, the song Wellerman gained immense popularity through platforms such as TikTok in the year 2020. This song was released in the late 1860s in New Zealand but it got a modern twist by Scottish singer Nathan Evans who helped revive the song.
Like most sailor songs, they tell of adventure, hardship, yearning, companionship, and the broad expanse of water. The songs were powerful, and easier to remember and sing in a group because of the repetitive choruses and call-and-response style, which helped unite ship crews. Traditional sailor songs include Drunken Sailor, Blow the Man Down, and Leave Her, Johnny. These are now quite famous and they are popular not only due to their catchy rhythm but also because the songs are nostalgic and timeless.
Currently, the lyrics of sailor songs are not only considered a relic of the maritime world but also a vivid pillar of modern folk music that appears in movies, festivals, and other social media. Their simple yet honest narrative style combined with the raw emotions continue to mesmerize audiences around the globe.
Sailor Song Lyrics
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Song Type | Traditional Sea Shanty / Folk Song |
| Notable Example | “Wellerman”, “Drunken Sailor”, “Blow the Man Down” |
| Revival Artist | Nathan Evans (for “Wellerman”) |
| Origin Period | 17th to 19th Century |
| Language | English |
| Theme | Life at sea, sailors’ hardships, ocean journeys, camaraderie |
| Structure | Call-and-response, chorus-heavy, rhythmic |
| Modern Popularity | Revived on social media, TikTok, folk festivals |
| Historical Use | Work songs aboard ships to aid timing and morale |
| Cultural Relevance | Maritime heritage, folk music history, global appeal |
Sailor Song Lyrics
I saw her in the rightest way
Looking like Anne Hathaway
Laughing while she hit her pen
And coughed, and coughed
And then, she came up to my knees
Begging, “Baby, would you please?
Do the things you said you’d do to me, to me?”
Oh, won’t you kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor?
And when you get a taste, can you tell me what’s my flavor?
I don’t believe in God, but I believe that you’re my savior
My mom says that she’s worried, but I’m covered in His favor
And when we’re getting dirty, I forget all that is wrong
I sleep so I can see you ’cause I hate to wait so long
I sleep so I can see you and I hate to wait so long
She took my fingers to her mouth
The kind of thing that makes you proud
That nothing else had ever
Worked out, worked out
And maybe I tried other things
But nothing can capture the sting
Of the venom she’s gonna spit out right now
Oh, won’t you kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor?
When you get a taste, can you tell me what’s my flavor?
I don’t believe in God, but I believe that you’re my savior
I know that you’ve been worried, but you’re dripping in my favor
And when we’re getting dirty, I forget all that is wrong
I sleep so I can see you ’cause I hate to wait so long
I sleep so that I can see you and I hate to wait so long
And we can run away to the walls inside your house
I can be the cat, baby, you can be the mouse
And we can laugh off things that we know nothing about
We can go forever until you wanna sit it out
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