Entertainment

The Marsh Family’s Suella Braverman-themed shanty is the best way to catch up on the news

Oonagh Keating. Updated October 20th, 2022

We first encountered The Marsh Family from Kent in March 2020, when they went viral with their brilliantly rewritten lockdown version of One Day More, from Les Misérables.

Since then, they have appeared on TV on both sides of the Atlantic, built up a huge fanbase on social media and released both music and merchandise, which you can find on their website, marshfamilysongs.com.

On Wednesday evening, reluctant to watch the second half of Watford’s 3-0 drubbing at Millwall, and faced with tumultuous political developments, the Marsh Family wrote, rehearsed and recorded this musical retelling of Suella Braverman’s recent history – to the tune of viral shanty The Wellerman.

If you’d like to take a more leisurely look at the lyrics, here they are.

There once was a brief Home Secretary
She came from the group called the ERG
Begins the job, but then backs down
She breached the Ministers’ Code.

Chorus:

Suella Braverman’s gone.
To think she’d only been there a month.
Spent days, just wagging her tongue,
She’d take her leave and go.

She had dreamed two weeks before
Of sending migrants from these shores.
She clapped and called for a culture war
She’d make that airplane go.

Chorus

She swore the ‘wokerati’ fought her,
But Sue’s email’s what really caught her.
Ironically, this migrants’ daughter
Then dived out the boat.

Chorus

Her time was short, for all agree
On Cabinet confidentiality.
And now she’s gone she can whinge and scheme,
She’ll never let it go.

Chorus

For forty days (but not much more)
Her time in charge was insecure.
She talked of plans to change the law
But now she’s got to go.

Chorus

A sinking ship’s the kind of song
To describe this government’s goings on.
As far as we’ve heard The Braverman’s gone
Don’t say it five times – or she might return.

Chorus (x2)

Here are a few comments from YouTube users that we really enjoyed.

As a tofu-eating, Guardian -reading member of the Wokerati, I congratulate you. 👍Well done, and thank you 😊
Anne Jones

BRILLIANT. You guys are amazing, to get this written, rehearsed, video made and uploaded within hours of Suella Wellerman going. 10/10
Spoolbox

Excellent! Some joy from the chaos of this dreadful Gov – Marsh Family songs. Thank you all. 👏👏
Bambit08

When the family shared the song on their Twitter account, it soon went viral, with almost 900,000 views after barely half a day.

They wrote –

‘Here’s a cheeky little sea shanty ⚓️🎶(an adaptation of #Wellerman) about #SuellaBraverman – we were sad to see her go, because we had to make this much quicker than we anticipated…’

Here’s how tweeters have been reacting.

We’re not sure there could be a better endorsement than one coming from award-winning composer Howard Goodall.

As well as YouTube and Twitter, you can follow the family on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, or get access to exclusive content by supporting their work here.

READ MORE

43 reactions to Suella Braverman’s dramatic departure – one for every day in office

Source The Marsh Family Image Screengrab