How a New Zealand song from the 1800s started the sea shanty craze on Tiktok

Nathan Evan's version of classic NZ sea shanty, The Wellerman, has been liked by more than 1.2 million followers and inspired collaboration videos. Photo / TikTok

When Scottish postal worker and part-time singer Nathan Evans posted a video of himself singing a 200-year-old sea shanty, he probably didn't expect his little diddy to go viral.

The original TikTok video shows Evan's singing a heartfelt version of a tune titled The Wellerman. The song dates back to circa 1860 and is widely understood to have originated in New Zealand.

The full title of the well-known sea-shanty is Soon May The Wellerman Come, which refers to supply ships own by the Weller Brothers.

English-born traders, the Weller Brothers ran supply ships to New Zealand in the 1800s. Employees working on the supply ships, which supplied New Zealand whalers with provisions, became colloquially know as the 'wellerman'.

The author of the song is unknown. Shanties were popular among sailors at the time, but they were not often put to paper, instead travelling by word of mouth. Soon May The Wellerman Come was first published in a book of New Zealand folk songs in 1973.

Evan's rendition of The Wellerman on TikTok has been liked by more than 1.2 million followers. Not only that, his heartfelt tune has inspired other talented TikTok-ers to collaborate.

Layering everything from vocal bass parts to electronic beats and a violin, TikTok users have crafted the sea shanty into an absolute banger.