Imagine signing aboard a ship and the first question they ask is, "Can you sing"? But singing was an important part of shipboard work in olden times.
You can hear ten such shanties, plus bonus movie footage at The Art of Manliness. Link -Thanks, Michal!
Sea Shanties were work songs sung on ships during the age of sail. They were used to keep rhythm during work and make it more pleasant. Because these songs were used to accomplish a goal, rather then for pure entertainment, the lyrics and melody were not very sophisticated. Still, the songs were usually meaningful and told of a sailor’s life, which included backbreaking labor, abuse from captain and crew, alcohol, and longing for girls and dry land.
You can hear ten such shanties, plus bonus movie footage at The Art of Manliness. Link -Thanks, Michal!
During the scenes representing the voyage we sang snatches of sea shanties. The rest of the cast threatened to walk out if I joined in. Guess in the old days I would have quickly found myself cast a drift (if I was lucky)
Some of my favorite albums - with many a song about drinking and wenching, as well as the usual sailing ditties,in order of most fave to least:
Blow Boys Blow by Ewan MacColl & A.L. Lloyd
Whaling & Sailing Songs by Paul Clayton
Shanties & Songs of the Sea by Johnny Collins, Dave Webber & Pete Watkinson
And just for fun, it’s not really a sea shanty album, but has many sailing & buccaneer-inspired songs, Pegleg Tango by Captain Bogg & Salty. You’ll hum or whistle these songs for about the next 6 months. The generally tame pirate references makes this a great kids’ album, too, though any fun-loving, pirate-minded adult will find much to love. “Pull Away Home” is a sweet and beautiful classic that deserves a spot in the hallowed catalog of great sea-faring songs, authentic or not.