The tunes sing the bits everybody knows and think everyone else in the crew is just showing off.

The bass section labours down in the engine room, occasionally rattling windows and scaring dogs. 

01 June 2021

Press Release

NHS’s first-ever sea shanty created to encourage COVID-19 vaccination

What’s believed to be the first-ever sea shanty in the world written to encourage people to take up the offer of a COVID-19 vaccination has been created by the well-known East Anglian group The Motley Crew.

Just Get That Jab And Go is written and performed by the 13-strong Brightlingsea-based shanty crew and was done in partnership with the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is responsible for the highly-successful local vaccination programme.

The launch of the song comes as the national programme has opened up vaccination appointments to people aged 30 and over.

With the refrain “Keep the community safe from harm, just get that jab and go”, the shanty is sung to the tune of Wellerman, the shanty that achieved TikTok fame and went to No 1 in the charts earlier this year. It even manages to integrate the local vaccine website address into one verse.

David Bridle, the Motley Crew’s Bosun, said: “We’ve all had the jab and were delighted to lend our voices to such an important campaign.

“After a year when we’ve mostly met on Zoom, we’re looking forward to adding it to our live shows when we’re able to perform again soon.”

Brightlingsea-based record producer Ray Hayden, of Opaz Multimedia mastered the recording and also gave his time for free. “Ray did an amazing job for us,” said David, “Having a professional involved was fantastic – we’d never have sounded so good without him.”

Simon Morgan, ICS head of communications, and who had the original idea for this unusual project, said: “Over the last couple of years the sea shanty has enjoyed a much-deserved boost in popularity, which got us thinking that having our own sea shanty composition to boost vaccination uptake, especially among younger audiences, would be a great idea.

“Our system is extremely grateful to members of the Motley Crew who have done an incredible job to reinforce the message of getting a vaccination when invited to do so.”

The group created the song in partnership with the ICS who accepted no payment for the work.

Dr Ed Garratt, Executive Lead for the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System, said: “Our teams of staff and volunteers are doing a great job of inviting people back for their second doses, which are really important to give maximum protection from the virus; more than one third of adults have had both doses.

“So if you receive an invitation, whether for your first or second dose, please do act on it as soon as possible.

“We are proud of our success to-date and thanks to so many people, particularly the incredible efforts of the volunteers and staff who have contributed so much.”