In The Heart of the Sea: The Comedy of the Whaleship Essex 

imagine being the report after this lmao

Telling my kids this was Simon and Garfunkel

"a minor setback" - goes to C minor

And they got an F because this was in fact.... Algebra class.....

Drake and Josh as intellectuals

the fact that they pulled *cluster-problem* in school makes me so happy

Guy: plays harmonica People: you have achieved comedy

Thank whoever fixed the recommendation algorithm. This is gold.

So in the 11th grade, these guys were writing clever comedic lyrics summarizing _Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex,_ complete with major and minor plot points, correct usage of nautical jargon, and understanding the story so well they could satirize it. When I was in the 11th grade, I occupied myself angling around trying to catch a glimpse of Mary Sue's shapely gams, deciphering the mysteries of the graffiti on a desk older than me, and calculating how many seconds until free period.

"only a minor setback" plays a minor chord when they say minor I love lyrical cues

I'm an English teacher, and I would give that an easy 100- better than reading trash reports... hope my students don't read this. Edit: I feel it necessary to clarify for those who fail to recognize this is written 'tongue-and-cheek'. I always gave my students creative outlets in the classroom. I was simply making light of the contrast between the creative excellence of this compared to the dry nature of a written report. I think teachers should always provide students with those opportunities. They should also help students learn how to write. Both are important.

This is pure gold😂😂 idk how the other students keep such composure, I woulda been losing my mind watching these Simon & Garfunkel lookin muthafuckers 😂😂😂

Sheesh, that’s a lot of talent and creativity - and guts - for a couple of high school kids. Thanks for posting.

“What’s your favorite song from The Other Favorites?” *me as an intellectual*

To anyone wondering, they made an A. I met them in Seattle tonight and asked them after their excellent set with Reina and Tony.

minor setback that I didn't see this til now.

I wanna applaud the teacher for allowing this.

The spoon solo after the cannibalism verse was comedic gold. I can’t believe the class didn’t go wild for that.

This is one of the best things I've ever seen, whether it's the writing, the music, the performance, or the comedy.

The spoon solo in the middle of the cannibalism part really made the whole thing

That was awesome! I'm an English teacher and my students will from now on have the option to do all of their future assignments as a song instead. Thank you for the inspiration. :D

So this is why all teachers wanted us to sing our presentations all of a sudden..

Lyrics if anyone is wondering: (Disclaimer: I'm getting the lyrics directly from listening to the video so there will probably be some inaccuracies and words or phrases I misheard but this is the best I can do) [1st Verse] Well the Essex, she was a lucky ship, a-captained by George Pollard But when she left port for a journey of sorts, she never could have reckoned one fowler She was a whaling ship about 85 feet, with a crew that numbered 20 She was headed on around to The Offshore Ground, a whaling land of plenty Four days in just past Cape Cod, they were faced with an oncoming gale They tried to turn around, but they got knocked down because they never shorted sail [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," Pollard said to Chase "And if we press on through, we'll be right back in the race" [2nd Verse] Later on off the South American coast, the watch shouted "thar she blows!" And a rite too, they had the beast harpooned, and the blood and oil did flow Their eyes looked rabid as they tore apart the flesh, and laid it out to dry Not a-one of them frowned as they boiled it down, and smoked furled up to the sky [3rd Verse] They finally sailed to The Offshore Ground, and they thought they were in luck Thought there was no doubt when they saw spout it would soon become a clusterf... problem Chase had returned to repair his stroud, while the other boat stayed on the hunt His eyes grew wide as the gazed port side, and was met with a whales full brunt When Pollard pulled up in his own little launch he could see that Chase was pail (Spoken) He asked, "my God, Mr. Chase, what is the matter?" To which Chase responed: (Sung) "We've been stoved by a whale" [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," Pollard said to Chase "And if we press on through, we'll be right back in the race" [4th Verse] So they gathered up some water and so hardtack too, but they didn't wanna leave the wreck Pollard said "no," Matthew Joy said "yes," so they all said "what the heck" As for just which way to sail, none of them could agree But it was decided for the best not to sail to the west, the ultimate irony [5th Verse] They tried to sail west but they wind brew bad so they drifted and sailed to the south Soon thing turned dire they began to perspire, and their tongue shriveled up in their mouth [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," Pollard croaked to Chase "And if we can just find an island we'll be right back in the race" [6th Verse] No sooner had those words escaped his mouth that they heard a weak "land ho!" There were smiles all around at the island they found, and they pulled the boats into a cove And just a few days it was no surprise when Pollard said "seems to me." That the food's run low so we'll have to go, and they set back out to sea Joy grew ill as the storm came up that couldn't be placated He was hangin by a thread and soon his was dead, and the boats got separated [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," Chase said to himself As he and his crew nurse their deteriorating health [Spoken Verse] Now this is the point in the book when things really began to go south for the crew of the Essex, both literally and metaphorically. On Chase's boat their rations were cut to 1.5 ounces of hardtack a day, which of course was half of half of their original rations--which in the first place wasn't enough to sustain the life of an adult man. But it was much better than the situation on Hendrick's and Pollard's boat, where they had run out of food entirely. As they sat around and stared at each other in the hot sun, they began to dream of more imaginative ways to curve their hunger. [7th Verse] The first man died and they jumped on him with much ferocity They cut off his head then his feet and his hands and tossed them into the sea Then they went for the liver and the heart, for you know they taste the best With their [ravenous?] paws and their ravenous jaw, as they greedily tore the rest [8th Verse] By the time they were sighted by a whaling ship, there were but five men left They were sucking on bones, spoke only in moans with dignity devoided breath [Chorus] "Only a minor setback," the crewmen said to Chase "And if we get back to Nantucket we'll be right back in the race"

"Only a minor setback" uses C minor chord (sea minor). Genius.

Josh: *plays three notes on harmonica* The class: *laughter*

While you sounded great (especially for 11th graders!), I can’t help but feel you missed a glorious opportunity: to play this in the key of...Sea. I’ll show myself out...

Jesus Christ the dudes hand to the right must've been on fire after barring chords pretty much the whole song

Damn. These guys beat us all to Sea Shanties by a solid 11 years.

everytime they set "only a minor setback" my ears feel so blessed

If they didn't get an A+ for this, I'm sueing the teacher.

the harmony on minor setback is really nice

Why did I get reccomended this for no reason? And why am I standing up and applauding like a mad lad

It might be dumb but every couple of months or so I have an uncontrollable urge to hear it again!

This tune is now stuck in my head.

Coming back to this legendary video now that sea shanties are trending

Now you have to do an entire album of history ballads. I'll buy it.

Everyone fell in love with them after this, I swear.

the fact that this song is actually good is amazing they turned a legit book report into a song

English teacher: Good Job. 97%. Well done.

How is this not on the main channel?! Deserves as wide as audience as possible. Inspired!

It’s crazy that they’re on tour together these days

I’m a senior English teacher, looking up ways to teach this book. Literally grinned at this from beginning to end! So proud of you guys!!!

Retired British teacher, here..... If students of mine had turned in a homework assignment like this I would have been delighted.... Play to your talents in life.... they did exactly what was asked of them, but in a way few will ever forget seeing or hearing. Two exceptionally talented individuals. Loved it, thanks.

This is the kind of thing that RU-vid was made for.

Who would imagine Josh started this sea shanty craze.

I will always come back and watch this.

I keep coming back to this. This is nothing short of a masterpiece.

I was looking for good sea shanties & this is the best thing I possibly could have found.

Pro-tip... “Fustercluck is totally acceptable in class”. Thanks for that mighty tale boys! 🙌🏻

All jokes aside, that was not just well written, but executed incredibly!

May the friendship of you two last centuries..

I can’t believe that they have a band together now. What a start to a band

These fellas have been at it for a long time!! Talented!

If I were your teacher back then, I could exempt you guys from joining my class and focus on composing song about the class for your final exam. 😂

easy harmony by these guys. impressive.

LOVE that early 'Smothers Brothers' comic vibe.

I've watched this an embarrassing number of times today. It's simply too delightful. 💗

Dumb??? This is adorable. I hope you guys got an A+.

Probably one of the most creative and entertaining book reports I've ever seen.

They were living the time of their lives! I wish there was a way to know when you are in the good old days before you are already past them.

The Harmonize so well with their voices

11th grade in America looks calm. In the uk I spent the whole year tearing my hair out about a huge set of exams

A ridiculous amount of talent from these kids. The songwriting talents they possess are way beyond their years. I'd love to see where these kids are now.

This genuinely makes me me well up in tears every time I rewatch it. The talent and energy bursting from these two… They went entirely out of their way and put in 300% of the effort required just to fulfill their passions for an instant in front of their peers… and they were given the leeway to do it. That’s what education is all about. They were given room to be themselves within a constructive context. Feels like a scene from a movie I wanna watch. Dead Poets Society type shit.

Incredible imagination and talent. These kids will go far in life. Also very impressed that this clearly looks like a public district school (as opposed to a private school) well done all around. Huge education success.

The song reminds me of the whole story in less than 6 mins.. great work!

I just had to come back to this masterpiece after watching Caitlin Doughty's video on "The Real Moby Dick Was So Much Worse." I kept thinking 'just a minor setback...' after every new piece of information she brought up.

Had I been in the same class ... and secretly learning to play guitar ... I would have gone home and sold it.

holy crap you guys are good. love it.

How do you get this cool and smooth as a high school teenager. Me and everyone I knew as a teenager was an embarrassing awkward mess.

There are certain school projects when I decided to use my creativity. But this here.. this is a masterpiece

That was amazing man - also very cool of this teacher to let you submit a report in this format! Was the grade good? I think I subbed to you main channel in around 2012 when your sultans of swing video went big on reddit, and since you mentioned that this channel has a dialogue element, I feel compelled to tell you that I love what you do. I don't know how many times I've uttered the phrase 'Josh Turner does the pinnacle version of this song', but it's a lot. Best of luck in New York, you deserve to be doing this at a professional level for the rest of your life.

This showed up on auto play after a Beatles cover. What a treat!

Is there anything you can't do? You play just about every stringed instrument imaginable, plus harmonica and spoons, and now comedy as well. Gotta love it!

And some years later THE OTHER FAVORITES became famous musicians and sound in Spain's national Radio3 (country program TomaDiez) with the Ballad of John McCrae! Congrats and well done!

This gives me 1980s school vibes.

This is what I called friendship

I was legit smiling the whole time not just cause the lyrics are funny and reference the book a lot but this is some great songwriting no joke lol. Also someone already said it but I hear Simon and Garfunkel inspiration and resemblance

every few months i come across this video again and i am impressed every time

Alright, this is so cool watching where the musical genius came from... And also the comedy stylings of Carson. I can just imagine that he is hilarious when it's just you two guys together, is that the way he really is or not? Buddy

Pure talent...

This is what the internet is for

Would love to see a remake of this someday.

You guys were good right from the beginning. You make getting up in front of people look soooo easy.

Funny, funny stuff! "Cluster" funny ("In my day," the Ancient Mariner [me] says, "You would have been suspended from school for that line!"). Best book report ever!

Imagine being in the same year or class as these legends

I'm impressed by the vocal harmonies.

The best book report....EVER...😅

The harmonies are awesome!

Greatest song ever. I hope this is on the set list.

Kids in my school don’t have a sense of humor and wouldn’t laugh at this masterpiece.

Amazing. So glad this was recorded.

I would love to see the two of you do another recording of this. It's so unbelievably clever.

These kids deserve a medal

Two of the most talented on RU-vid.

The description says it has been adapted to the big screen, but I don't understand if it's referring to the song or the book that they are singing about.

I'm really impressed. Great song.

If I'm following them , I would say my dog ate my report.🤣

How can you guys NOT think this is still a classic!!

What a plucky delight! I am humbled by this kids brilliance. Him, and his pool of talented friends are constantly impressing me with their virtuoso and love for all of the selections they choose.