Devon-based musician, songwriter and composer Nick Wyke has released a brand new environmentally- themed sea-shanty described as “the song of a generation” by listeners.
“No birds in the air, no fish in the sea” has clocked up thousands of likes, shares and views on social media platforms in just a week, and Nick is now looking to bring the green message to new listeners. The song imagines a future world in which mankind sails lifeless seas remembering the days of plenty, and ends with a call to action for all of us in the present: “The time is now, it’s not too late…”
“It’s fantastic to think that it’s been past more than 80,000 eyes and ears on Facebook alone, and has been shared over a thousand times. It really seems to have struck a chord with people.” says Nick.
Inspired by the recent sea-shanty craze on TikTok, the singer, guitarist and fiddle-player decided to use the form and simplicity of the shanty to help get his message across. The words and melody are straightforward, and the chorus is easy to sing and shout along with.
Nick adds, “I think one of the things that people are enjoying is how easy it is to sing, and I’ve been inundated with requests from choirs and other groups to provide the music so they can learn it.”
Now the single has been released, along with the music and a PDF of the score and lyrics so anyone who wants to get on board can join in. The resources are available on Bandcamp, and although the song is copyright, Nick has made it free to use for non-profit activity.
He concludes “It’s a message we all need to hear and to act upon, because time is growing short to do something about the state of our beautiful planet, and I know that others feel the same when they leave me comments like: “Outstanding… I am sharing, sharing, sharing”.
