Pirate Music & Sea Shanties

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

"...I soon got used to this singing, for the sailors never touched a rope without it. Sometimes, when no one happened to strike up, and the pulling, whatever it might be, did not seem to be getting forward very well, the mate would always say, 'Come men, can't any of you sing? Sing now and raise the dead.' And then some one of them would begin, and if every man's arms were as much relieved as mine by the song, and he could pull as much better as I did, with such a cheering accompaniment, I am sure the song was well worth the breath expended on it. It is a great thing in a sailor to know how to sing well, for he gets a great name by it from the officers, and a good deal of popularity among his shipmates. Some sea captains, before shipping a man, always ask him whether he can sing out at a rope."

-Herman Melville Redburn, chapter 9, (1849)

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The role of music was very important to the age of sail.  The rhythmic songs (known as "Sea Shanties") served to both boost onboard morale on long voyages and to coordinate the brute strength of the sailors.  Many tasks, such as raising the ships anchor, loading cargo, adjusting spar elevations on tall ships, hauling lines and more could involve several tons worth of dead weight.  It was only through the coordinated effort of the crew that made these tasks possible.

Not only useful, these songs have always also been fairly catchy.  In fact, many of these tunes still survive today and have only been slightly modified over the centuries. Click on the links below to learn more about the history of shipboard music or to see the lyrics to some of these great songs.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

What is a "Sea Shanty"?

An overview of the work songs of the sea

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Sea shanties (singular "shanty", also spelled "chantey"; derived from the French word "chanter", 'to sing') were shipboard working songs. Shanties flourished from at least the fifteenth century through the days of steam ships in the first half of the 20th century. Most surviving shanties date from the nineteenth and (less commonly) eighteenth centuries. In the days when human muscles were the only power source available aboard ship, sea shanties served a practical purpose: the rhythm of the song served to synchronize the movements of the shipworkers as they toiled at repetitive tasks. They also served a social purpose: singing, and listening to song, is pleasant; it alleviates boredom, and lightens the burden of hard work, of which there was no shortage on long voyages. Most shanties are "call and response" songs, with one voice (the shantyman) singing the line and the chorus of sailors bellowing the response (compare military cadence calls). For example, the shanty "Boney":   Shantyman: Boney was a warrior, All: Way, hey, ya! Shantyman: A warrior and a terrier, All: Jean-François! The crew would then pull on the last syllable of the response in each line Categories Shanties may be divided into several rough categories: Short Drag Shanty Short drag or short haul shanties were for tasks that required quick pulls over a relatively short time, such as shortening or unfurling sails. When working in rough weather these songs kept the sailors in a rhythm that got the job done safely and efficiently. Long Drag Shanty Long drag or halyard shanties were for work that required more setup time between pulls. It was used for heavy labour that went on for a long time, for example, raising or lowering a heavy sail. This type of shanty gave the sailors a rest in between the hauls, a chance to get a breath and a better grip, and coordinated their efforts to make the most of the group’s strength for the next pull. This type of shanty usually has a chorus at the end of each line. Capstan Shanty Capstan (or windlass) shanties were used for long or repetitive tasks that simply need a sustained rhythm. Raising or lowering the anchor by winding up the heavy anchor chain was their prime use. This winding was done by walking round and round pushing at the capstan bars, a long and continuous effort. These are the most developed of the work shanties. Pumping Shanties All wooden ships leak somewhat. There was a special hold (cargo area) in the ships where the leaked-in water (the bilge) would collect: the bilge hold. The bilge water had to be pumped out frequently; on period ships this was done with a two-man pump. Many pumping shanties were also used as capstan shanties, and vice versa, particularly after the adoption of the Downton pump which used a capstan rather than pump handles moved up and down. Examples include: "Strike The Bell", "Shallow Brown", "Barnacle Bill the Sailor", "Lowlands". Forecastle Shanties In the evening, when the work was done, it was time to relax. Singing was a favored method of entertainment. These songs came from places visited, reminding the sailors of home or foreign lands. Naturally the sailors loved to sing songs of love, adventure, pathos, famous men, and battles. Of course after all the hard work just plain funny songs topped their list. Stamp-'n'-Go Shanties These were used only on ships with large crews. Many hands would take hold of a line 'tug-of-war' style and march away along the deck singing and stamping out the rhythm. Alternatively, with a larger number of men, they would create a loop -- marching along with the line, letting go at the 'end' of the loop and marching back to the 'top' of the loop to take hold again for another trip. These songs tend to have longer choruses similar to capstan shanties. Examples: "Drunken Sailor", "Roll the Old Chariot". Stan Hugill, in his Shanties from the Seven Seas writes: "(Drunken Sailor) is a typical example of the stamp-'n'-go song or walkaway or runaway shanty, and was the only type of work-song allowed in the King's Navee (sic). It was popular in ships with big crews when at halyards; the crowd would seize the fall and stamp the sail up. Sometimes when hauling a heavy boat up the falls would be 'married' and both hauled on at the same time as the hands stamped away singing this rousing tune." Whaling Shanties Life on a whaler was worse than on any other type of vessel; your life might be shorter on a pirate’s ship, but the work wouldn't be so hard! Voyages typically lasted from two to three years, and sailor’s lives were filled with unrelenting, dangerous work and the ever-present stench of whale oil. Whalers risked maiming and death when giving chase in small boats that were often overturned or even smashed by the whale’s tail in the fight! Songs helped give these men the will to go on in the face of their ful circumstances. Of course, the above categories are not absolute. Sailors could (and did) take a song from one category and, with necessary alterations to the rhythm, use it for a different task. The only rule almost always followed was that songs that spoke of returning home were only sung on the homeward leg, and songs that sung of the joys of voyaging etc., were only sung on the outward leg. Other songs were very specific. "Poor Old Man" (also known as "Poor Old Horse" or "The Dead Horse") was sung once the sailors had worked off their advance (the "horse") a month or so into the voyage. "Leave Her, Johnny Leave Her" (also known as "Time for Us to Leave Her") was only sung during the last round of pumping the ship dry once it was tied up in port, prior to leaving the ship at the end of the voyage. The shantyman The shantyman was a sailor who led the others in singing. He was usually self-appointed. A sailor would not generally sign on as a shantyman per se, but took on the role in addition to their other tasks on the ship. Nevertheless, sailors reputed to be good shantymen were valuable and respected — it was a good professional skill to have, along with strong arms and back. Performance of shanties Historically, shanties were usually not sung ashore. Today, they are performed as popular music. Shanty choirs, often large choral groups that perform only sea shanties, are popular in Europe, particularly Poland and the Netherlands, but also countries such as Germany and Norway. In English-speaking countries, sea shanties are comparatively less popular as a separate genre and tend to be performed by smaller groups as folk music rather than in a choral style. They are also sung by some folk music clubs as a social pastime, not for performance. A medley of sea shanties performed by classical orchestra, Sir Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Songs, is a popular component of the Last Night of the Proms in Britain. Although the "days of the tall ships" are over, the shanty song style is still used for new musical compositions. Well known examples include the Stan Rogers song, "Barrett's Privateers," the Steve Goodman song, "Lincoln Park Pirates," and the theme song for the television show SpongeBob SquarePants (a version of "Blow the Man Down"). Even the song "Reise, Reise" by the German Tanz-Metall band Rammstein is based on a shanty, "Reise, Reise."

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Boney

Lyrics from Songs of American Sailormen, by Joanna Colcord
Boney was a warrior,
Away ay-yah!
A warrior and a tarrier,
John Fran-swor!

Boney fought the Roo-shi-ans,
Away ay-yah!
Boney fought the Proo-shi-ans.
John Fran-swor!

Boney went to Elbow,
Boney he came back again.

Boney went to Waterloo,
There he got his overthrow.

Then they took him off again
Aboard the Billy Ruffian.

Boney broke his heart and died
Away in St. Helena.

Give her the top gallant sails;
It's a weary way to Baltimore.

Drive her, captain, drive her,
And bust the chafing leather.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Haul Away Joe

Most experts concur that this shanty was generally used to sheet in the foresail. The only pull was on the word "Joe," which was shouted or grunted out rather than sung.
Hey don't yer see that black cloud a-risin'?
'Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe!
Hey don't yer see that black cloud a-risin'?
'Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe!

Naow whin Oi wuz a little boy an' so me mother told me,
'Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe!
That if Oi didn't kiss the gals me lips would all grow mouldy.
'Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe!

An' Oi sailed the seas for many a year not knowin' what Oi wuz missin',
Then Oi sets me sails afore the gales an' started in a-kissin'.

Naow first Oi got a Spanish gal an' she wuz fat an' lazy,
An' then Oi got a [Negro] tart-she nearly druv me crazy.

Oi found meself a Yankee gal an' sure she wasn't civil,
So Oi stuck a plaster on her back an' set her to the Divil.

Sheepskin, pitch, an' beeswax, they make a bully plaster;
The more she tried ter git it off it only stuck the faster.

Then Oi got meself an Oirish gal an' her name wuz Flannigan,
She stole me boots, she stole me clothes, she pinched me plate an' pannikin.

Oi courted then a Frenchie gal, she took things free an' aisy,
But naow Oi've got an English gal an' sure she is a daisy.

So list while Oi sing ter yer about me darlin' Nancy,
She's copper-bottomed, clipper-built, she's jist me style an' fancy.

Ye may talk about yer Yankee gals an' round-the-corner-Sallies,
But they couldn't make the grade, me bhoys, wid the gals from down our alley.

We sailed away for the China Seas, our bhoys so neat an' handy,
The Ould Man in his cab'n, bhoys, a-drinkin' rum an' brandy.

We loaded for the homeward run, all hands so free an' aisy,
And in his galley sat the doc, a-makin' plum-duff graisy.

We squared our yards an' away we rolled, with the fiddles playin' handy,
Wid a roll 'n' go, an' a westward ho, an' a Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Oh, King Louis wuz the King o' France, afore the revolution,
But the people cut his big head orf an' spoiled his constitution.

Then they sent the King away ter sea, to larn him how ter swim,
They sent him wid a Bluenose mate who put a squarehead on him.

Oh, once Oi wuz in Oireland a-diggin' turf an' taties,
But naow Oi'm on a Limejuice ship an' a-haulin' on the braces.

Saint Patrick wuz a gintleman, an' he come of daycent paypul,
He built a church in Dublin town an' on it set a staypul.

From Oireland thin he druv the snakes, then drank up all the whisky,
This made him dance an' sing an' jig, he felt so fine an' frisky.

He held High Mass for forty days before he blessed the staypul,
He held High Mass, 'twas a sorry pass, but he couldn't fool the paypul.

Yiz call yerself a second mate an' cannot tie a bowline,
Ye cannot even stand up straight when the packet she's a-rollin'

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Haul on the Bowline

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Lyrics from Iron Men & Wooden Ships, by Frank Shay

Haul on the bowlin', the fore and maintop bowlin', Haul on the bowlin', the bowlin' haul! Haul on the bowlin', the packet is a-rollin', Haul on the bowlin', the bowlin' haul! Haul on the bowlin', the skipper he's a-growlin', Haul on the bowlin', the bowlin' haul! Haul on the bowlin', to London we are goin', Haul on the bowlin', the bowlin' haul! Haul on the bowlin', the good ship is a-bowlin', Haul on the bowlin', the bowlin' haul! Haul on the bowlin', the main-topgallant bowlin', Haul on the bowlin', the bowlin' haul!

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Paddy Doyle

Lyrics from Iron Men & Wooden Ships, by Frank Shay
To my,
Ay,
And we'll furl,
Ay,
And pay Paddy Doyle for his boots.

We'll sing,
Ay,
And we'll heave,
Ay,
And we'll hang Paddy Doyle for his boots.

We'll heave,
Ay,
And we'll swing,
Ay,
And we'll all drink brandy and gin.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Round The Corner

...in an emergency, when we wanted a heavy, "raise-the-dead" pull, which should start the beams of the ship, there was nothing like "Time for us to go!" "Round the corner," or "Hurrah! hurrah! my hearty bullies!"

-Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Two Years Before the Mast
Lyrics from Songs of American Sailormen, by Joanna Colcord
Oh, round the corner we will go,
Round the corner, Sally!
Oh, round the corner we will go,
Round the corner, Sally!

To Madam Gashee's we all will go,
Round the corner, Sally!
To Madam Gashee's we all will go,
Round the corner, Sally!

The Mademoiselles you all do know,
Round the corner, Sally!
The Mademoiselles you all do know,
Round the corner, Sally!

Oh, I wish I was at Madam Gashee's
Round the corner, Sally!
Oh, I wish I was at Madam Gashee's
Round the corner, Sally!

It's there we'll sit and take our ease,
Round the corner, Sally!
It's there we'll sit and take our ease,
Round the corner, Sally!