Microsoft Excel Sea Shanties – Lyrics by ChatGPT
It was Robert Burns Day on Wednesday (January 25th), so I asked ChatGPT to write an Ode to Excel, in the style of Burns’ poem, Address to a Haggis. The results were entertaining, and inspired me to prompt it for an Excel song, in the style of a sea shanty. See if you enjoy the results!
Robert Burns Tribute
You can read the full “Ode to Excel” on my Debra D blog, and I’ve put the first verse below. I like the way the poem “burns” the other spreadsheets, and says Excel is the best.
Fair Excel, the pride of spreadsheets,
Above all others, thou dost excel.
Thy rows and columns, so neat and orderly,
Leave Google Sheets and Apple Numbers in misery.
Another Ode to Excel
It took a few tries, with a variety of ChatGPT prompts, before I found the perfect “Ode to Excel”.
Here’s the first verse, and the chorus, from one of the earlier versions, and it reminds of a sea shanty.
Address to a Spreadsheet, ye data-crunchin’ beastie,
Great tool o’ organization and efficiency,
In rows and columns, ye keep us all in line,
And make our numbers add up just fine.Chorus:
Spreadsheet, Spreadsheet, ye’re a wonder o’ technology,
Aye, aye, Spreadsheet, ye mak our work a breeze.
Write an Excel Sea Shanty
Obviously, after reading that poem, I had to ask ChatGPT to write a sea shanty about Excel.
- Shanty: a song sung by sailors in rhythm with their work (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
And it did not disappoint me! The Excel sea shanty lyrics are shown below, with four verses, and a rousing chorus.
I suggest that you sing it to the tune of “Wellerman”. I’ve put the video a little further down the page, in case you’re not familiar with it.
Enjoy singing/stomping/clapping along!
Excel Is the One – Sea Shanty
Ho ho and a bottle of rum,
Other spreadsheets are quite glum,
Excel is the king on the throne,
Other spreadsheets are just stone.
Excel is better, it’s plain to see,
All the others are history,
Excel is the one, the only way,
To organize your data every day.
Numbers and charts, Excel can handle,
Other spreadsheets will just mishandle,
Excel is the master of the game,
Other spreadsheets are just a shame.
Excel is better, it’s plain to see,
All the others are history,
Excel is the one, the only way,
To organize your data every day.
Formulas and macros, Excel can do,
Other spreadsheets will just fall through,
Excel is the ruler of the land,
Other spreadsheets just can’t stand.
Excel is better, it’s plain to see,
All the others are history,
Excel is the one, the only way,
To organize your data every day.
So raise the anchor and set sail,
Excel will never fail,
Other spreadsheets are just a joke,
Excel is the spreadsheet that will evoke.
Excel is better, it’s plain to see,
All the others are history,
Excel is the one, the only way,
To organize your data every day.
Lyrics by ChatGPT, prompted by Debra Dalgleish
Wellerman Sea Shanty – Nathan Evans
To inspire your Excel sea shanty singalong, here’s a video with Nathan Evans singing Wellerman, a sea shanty that was wildly popular on YouTube and TikTok last year.
People who had never heard a sea shanty before, were happily singing along with this one. This video has 224 million views, and almost 4 million likes! The Wellerman lyrics are on YouTube, if you want to follow along.
The Wellerman tune would be perfect, if you want to sing the “Excel is the One” sea shanty, with the lyrics shown above. I know this from personal experience – just ask my neighbours! 
Barrett’s Privateers – Stan Rogers
Next, here’s my long-time favourite sea shanty, Barrett’s Privateers, written and sung by the late Stan Rogers, who was a popular Canadian singer-songwriter.
You can read more about the song and its plot on the Barrett’s Privateers page on Wikipedia.
The lyrics for this video’s song are on the Stan Rogers website.
More Inspirational Excel Songs
If you’d like to hear more Excel songs, check out my previous post, with tunes by professor Clint Tuttle. My favourite Clint Tuttle song is “Excel Funcs”, a parody of “Uptown Funk”, by Bruno Mars. The video is top quality, with amazing singing and dancing – just like you’d see every day, in your office or school!
And who could forget the chart-topping Excel hit from May 2011 – “Pivot Tables Make Everything Just Right”? The song was written by youarentbenjamin, and performed with other members of his group project at school.
Here’s the video, to help make your Friday “just right”!
Video: Compare Sales in Excel Pivot Table
I don’t have any Excel songs on my Contextures YouTube channel, but this pivot table video helps you compare “sales”. And sea shanties sometimes mention “sails”, so it’s pretty close, right?
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Microsoft Excel Sea Shanties – Lyrics by ChatGPT
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