It started with a man singing the sea shanty “Soon May the Wellerman Come” on TikTok, a popular app the lets people get creative with video and sound.
What now is a trending topic on social media, was once part of the workday for sailors.
“A shanty, and some people call it a sea shanty, is a song that is used to coordinate labor and relieve tedium while performing physical labor,” said Library of Congress Folklife Specialist Stephen Winick.