My selection of essential Sea Shanties
How could sea shanties possibly spark the interests of me; a casual fan of electronic and other contemporary music? Perhaps it is the rather unique atmosphere these maritime work songs create.
Your mind will easily drift away on the flows of rough but soothing masculine voices, serenading the ladies of various harbors, the tough working conditions on their vessel and various other topics that were of interest to sailors at that time.
Perhaps it is the common association of these songs with the romanticized theme of piracy, making the listener long for adventures on the cerulean waters of the Caribbean. This is no surprise as the concept of brave men embarking on ships to explore the unknown (and even often returning with everlasting glory as a result) is embedded in our collective consciousness. Remember Christopher Columbus? What about Vasco da Gama or James Cook? The list goes on for a while.
Although there might be a certain historical inaccuracy to this association (the kind of pirates we usually think about were a thing of the 17th — 18th century while shanties probably only achieved their mature form well in the 19th century), the connection is there and here to stay.
I have selected a few of these shanties to introduce the layman to the genre. Some of these are well known and others are not. I was introduced to these shanties through various video games and movies and explored the genre a bit further due to my interest in maritime history.
It is important to keep in mind that shanties sort of died off in the 20th century as manual labor and the size of ship crews started to decrease after the introduction of steam-powered ships. The versions we know today were passed on as oral traditions by sailors and collected by folklorists and historians. Furthermore they are reinterpreted numerous of times by artists and media.
Now, let’s go ahead and take a plunge into the world of sea shanties.
1) Leave her Johnny
This shanty is, in my opinion, the perfect representation of the genre. The archetype sea shanty. It is the perfect reflection of sailor mentality in that time.
A quick glance at the title makes the listener suspect this song will be about a lady that will be left behind ashore as the crew departs.
After a swift analysis of the lyrics it is clear that the ‘she’ is actually the crew’s ship. This great shanty, often sung at the very end of a voyage, reflects on the many shortcomings of the ship and hardships of the trip.
2) Don’t forget your old shipmate
Another pretty well known classic. I suspect many people were introduced to this as it was featured in a scene of Peter Weir’s Master and commander: the far side of the world.
The song is about two men who served on the same ship for many years and look back on their experiences and friendship in a nostalgic way. Some people claim it was actually sung by sailors of the Royal Navy who were about to be discharged and perhaps fall on difficult times back ashore. It’s not difficult to imagine this was sung many times during labor to create some positive vibes or again, at the end of a significant trek.
3) Drunken Sailor
An upbeat shanty sung during the performance of labor done at walking speed. It is easy to imagine the crew adding various new verses to the lyrics that suggest new ways to sober up the ‘drunken sailor’. Often quoted as one of the most well known shanties by mainstream audiences, you might have already heard this one elsewhere.
Here’s my favorite interpretation of that shanty.
4) Running down to Cuba
This shanty talks about transporting a cargo of sugar to Cuba. A pretty illogical thing when you think about it, considering Cuba was at that time one of the biggest manufacturers of sugar. The nonsense was indicative of the sailors’ discontent on a ship. Crews would sing it off-duty if they were being pushed too hard or unhappy with certain conditions on the ship.
5) Randy dandy oh
The final shanty of this short introduction essential list is about embarking on the journey! Interesting to note is that the ‘horn’ or the ‘hill’ mentioned in this song could very well be a reference to Cape Horn on the east coast of South America. These capes were a marker and highlight of the voyage for many sailors.
Sources and further reading:
http://www.shanty.org.uk
http://shanty.rendance.org/
http://www.contemplator.com/sea/
