Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

The Longest Johns - Wellerman Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, Dm, E, F, C, A
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]There once was a ship that put to sea, and the [Dm]name of the ship was the [Am]Billy of Tea
The [Am]winds blew hard, her bow dipped down, o [E]blow, my bully boys, [Am]blow
[F]Soon may the [C]Wellerman come, to [Dm]bring us sugar and [Am]tea and rum
[F]One day, when the [C]tonguing is done, we’ll [E]take our leave and [Am]go

[verse 2]
She [Am]had not been two weeks from shore, when [Dm]down on her a [Am]right whale bore
The [Am]captain called all hands and swore, he’d [E]take that whale in [Am]tow
[F]Soon may the [C]Wellerman come, to [Dm]bring us sugar and [Am]tea and rum
[F]One day, when the [C]tonguing is done, we’ll [E]take our leave and [Am]go

[verse 3]
[Am]Before the boat had hit the water, the [Dm]whale’s tail came [Am]up and caught her
All [Am]hands to the side, harpooned and fought her, when [E]she dived down [Am]below
[F]Soon may the [C]Wellerman come, to [Dm]bring us sugar and [Am]tea and rum
[F]One day, when the [C]tonguing is done, we’ll [E]take our leave and [Am]go

[verse 4]
No [Am]line was cut, no whale was freed; the [Dm]Captain’s mind was [Am]not of greed
But [Am]he belonged to the whaleman’s creed; she [E]took the ship in [Am]tow
[F]Soon may the [C]Wellerman come, to [Dm]bring us sugar and [Am]tea and rum
[F]One day, when the [C]tonguing is done, we’ll [E]take our leave and [Am]go

[verse 5]
For [Am]forty days, or even more, the [Dm]line went slack, then [Am]tight once more
All [Am]boats were lost (there were only four), but [E]still that whale did [Am]go
[F]Soon may the [C]Wellerman come, to [Dm]bring us sugar and [Am]tea and rum
[F]One day, when the [C]tonguing is done, we’ll [E]take our leave and [Am]go

[verse 6]
As [Am]far as I’ve heard, the fight’s still on; the [Dm]line’s not cut and the [Am]whale’s not gone
The [Am]Wellerman makes his regular call, to [Dm]encourage the Captain, [Am]crew, and all
[F]Soon may the [C]Wellerman come, to [Dm]bring us sugar and [Am]tea and rum
[F]One day, when the [C]tonguing is done, we’ll [E]take our leave and [Am]go [A]

[Closing]
[F]Soon may the [C]Wellerman come, to [Dm]bring us sugar and [Am]tea and rum
[F]One day, when the [C]tonguing is done, we’ll [E]take our leave and [Am]go

Report Error
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistThe Longest Johns
AlbumBetween Wind And Water
GenresFolk
Year2018
KeyAm

How to play Wellerman on Guitar (Step-by-step)

The Longest Johns - Wellerman on guitar requires 6 chords and 8 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Wellerman uses these transitions most often: Dm → Am (14), F → C (14), and Am → F (13). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Am - Dm chord transition.

1. Am → Dm chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from Am to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
Am to Dm

2. Am → E chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram

To move from Am to E;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
Am to E

3. Am → F chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Am to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Am to F

4. F → C chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from F to C;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to C

5. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

6. C → E chord transition

To move from C to E;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.

7. Am → A chord transition

To move from Am to A;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 2.

8. A → F chord transition

To move from A to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from B string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

Wellerman chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Wellerman.

  • Wellerman includes 81 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Wellerman contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Wellerman connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → Dm: 8%
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → Am: 14%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.