{"id":24994,"date":"2023-03-03T17:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T16:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=6925"},"modified":"2023-03-03T17:34:16","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T16:34:16","slug":"five-of-the-best-sea-shanties","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/five-of-the-best-sea-shanties\/","title":{"rendered":"Five of the best sea shanties"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s nothing like singing along to a good old sea shanty. Here are 5 of the greatest sea shanty songs to sing by the sea, in the pub or at any of the UK’s brilliant sea shanty festivals <\/p>

By Freya Parr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 03 March 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Sea shanties have long been an important part of British musical and maritime culture, and even if that seafaring heyday is now over, groups around the country still preserve the tradition, albeit safe on dry land.<\/p>\n

When were sea shanties invented?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The word shanty<\/a><\/strong> is said to have derived from the French verb \u2018chanter\u2019, meaning \u2018to sing\u2019. Usually sung by a shanty-man and his crew, shanties often involve call-and-response phrases with strong rhythms to keep sailors in time and lighten the load of their work.<\/p>\n
What are the lyrics to the sea shanty \u2018What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor<\/em>\u2018?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
We\u2019ve chosen some of the best sea shanties to get your teeth into. Have a listen, pop down to Cornwall, find the nearest pub, grab a pint and you\u2019ll be able to join in with aplomb.<\/p>\n
Best sea shanties<\/h2>\n\n<h3>Spanish Ladies<\/h3>\n<p>\u2018We\u2019ll rant and we\u2019ll roar like true British sailors\u2019. Ah, the shy retiring Brits. This tune describes a voyage from Spain to England, with sailors trying to gauge how far they are from home. A difficult task, thanks to the awkward location of landmarks on the way \u2013 and perhaps a tot or two of rum.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Spanish Ladies\u2019 is one of the best loved sea songs. It started life as a ballad in the Royal Navy, and travelled to the merchant ships. It was used as a <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-are-the-different-types-of-sea-shanties\/"\"><strong>capstan shanty<\/strong><\/a>, used for \u2018heaving\u2019 activities.<\/p>\n<p>The lyrics in the verses track a homeward journey, with various landmarks mentioned throughout the shanty: Plymouth, Portland and Dover, to name just a few.<\/p>\n<p>Spanish Ladies also forms a section of <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YUXBrek5N9g"\">Henry Woods\u2019s Fantasia on British Sea Songs<\/a>,<\/strong> so you will probably find this one familiar if you ever tune into the Last Night of the Proms. You\u2019ll also have heard it if you\u2019re a\u00a0Jaws\u00a0fan, as Quint sings it throughout the film.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/spanish-ladies-lyrics\/"\">lyrics to Spanish Ladies here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Spanish\" ladies=\"\" the=\"\" longest=\"\" johns=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/70wkdqX8HP0?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><strong><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/15-composers-and-their-dogs"\">15 composers and their dogs<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-best-pop-songs-inspired-classical-music"\">Six of the best pop songs inspired by classical music<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Blow the Man Down<\/h3>\n<p>Any cartoon lovers will already be well acquainted with this shanty: it forms the basis of the theme for SpongeBob SquarePants and also appears in the Popeye cartoons. As opposed to most of the other tunes featured in this list, this shanty doesn\u2019t entirely revolve around raucousness, drinking and debauchery.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a disagreement among historians about whether \u2018Blow the Man Down\u2019 is to do with the physical fighting that took place on ships or the savage weather conditions to which sailors were exposed. Often, the force of a big wind at sea could knock all the men to the decks.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Blow the Man Down\u2019 is a well-known <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-are-the-different-types-of-sea-shanties\/"\"><strong>halyard shanty<\/strong><\/a>, used for hoisting sails and \u2018pulling\u2019 activities. It was particularly well used between 1840 and 1870 on packet ships. It makes reference to the infamous \u2018Black Ball Line\u2019, one of the first commercial shipping ventures between Liverpool and New York across the Atlantic ocean. It was notorious for being brutal to its crew members, and references to it crop up in many other shanties \u2013 including one called \u2018The Black Ball Line\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Blow the Man Down\u2019 features the classic call-and-response chorus used in many sea shanties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find the<a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/blow-the-man-down-lyrics\/"\"> lyrics to <em>Blow the Man Dow<\/em>n here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Sheringham\" shantymen=\"\" blow=\"\" the=\"\" man=\"\" down=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5h1scwwUGBI?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><strong><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/classical-musics-rule-breakers"\">Classical music\u2019s rule-breakers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/best-classical-drinking-songs\/"\">The best classical drinking songs<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>South Australia<\/h3>\n<p>Another shanty for a long journey. This one was sung on boats sailing between the ports of England and, yes, you\u2019ve guessed it, Australia. Its relentless refrain \u2018Heave away, haul away\u2019 was used to encourage crews hauling heavy objects to and fro.<\/p>\n<p>The verses are flexible and have evolved over time, but the story of the shanty has remained the same. It is an ode to the girls the sailors are leaving back home, while they also drink to the women they will meet on their travels. It\u2019s possible that this shanty dates from the 19th century during the Australian gold rush, when trade between England and Australia was at an all-time high.<\/p>\n<p>Australia doesn\u2019t feature very prominently in sea shanty tradition, with the Atlantic trade tending to dominate the narratives. \u2018South Australia\u2019 is full of binaries: \u2018good\u2019 and \u2018bad\u2019 sailors are mentioned and the refrain mentions both \u2018heaving\u2019 and \u2018hauling\u2019. It functioned as both a shanty and a forebitter (a song performed for entertainment).<\/p>\n<p>You might recognise it from the Pogues\u2019 adaptation on their 1987 album\u00a0<em>If I Should Fall From Grace With God.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find the<a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/what-are-the-lyrics-to-south-australia-the-traditional-sea-shanty\/"\"> lyrics to the sea shanty South Australia here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul><li><strong><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/st-georges-day"\">The best classical music for St George\u2019s Day<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/five-best-settings-robert-burns-poems\/"\">Five of the best settings of Robert Burns\u2019s poems<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Sloop John B<\/h3>\n<p>Sloop John B is a Bahamian shanty, and was well-known and loved across the seas in the 19th century. Today, you will probably recognise its \u2018I want to Go Home\u2019 refrain from The Beach Boys\u2019 adaptation on the album Pet Sounds. Although their recording is commendable, it\u2019s not quite got the authenticity of a bunch of bearded fellas belting it at the top of their lungs with pints in hand.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Fisherman's\" friends=\"\" sloop=\"\" john=\"\" b=\"\" at=\"\" cambridge=\"\" folk=\"\" festival=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KyQ_qZeO5JA?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><strong><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/what-was-impact-world-war-one-music"\">What was the impact of World War One on music?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-best-musical-scores-theatre"\">Six of the best musical scores for theatre<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Drop of Nelson\u2019s Blood<\/h3>\n<p>\u2018Nelson\u2019s Blood\u2019 became a term for rum, so the story goes, after Nelson\u2019s death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. His body was preserved in a cask of spirits which was tapped and drained, so that sailors were then essentially drinking his blood for the rest of the journey. This shanty \u2013 despite its questionable glamorisation of alcoholism and objectification of women \u2013 is often sung by groups today, and is also known as \u2018Roll the Old Chariot Along\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-are-the-lyrics-to-the-sea-shanty-a-drop-of-nelsons-blood\/"\">lyrics to <em>Drop of Nelson\u2019s Blood <\/em>here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Fishermans\" friends=\"\" clip=\"\" nelson=\"\" blood=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zAKnEaQrgBc?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p><em>You can watch Fisherman\u2019s Friends on <a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/video\/detail\/amzn1.dv.gti.0ab59abb-10cc-ec1e-3f27-87075fac8595?tag=classicalm05c-21&ascsubtag=classicalmusic-0"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""sponsored" noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Amazon Prime<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=24IlaLk9MNs&ab_channel=YouTubeMovies"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""nofollow noopener noreferrer\" noopener=\"\" noreferrer=\"\"><strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a> or <a href=\"\/\/play.google.com\/store\/movies\/details?id=Eyc6IuUm_ac.P"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""nofollow noopener noreferrer\" noopener=\"\" noreferrer=\"\"><strong>Google Play<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can find the\u00a0<a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/search\/?q=sea+shanties"\">lyrics to many more of your favourite sea shanties here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> \n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/english-folk-songs\/"\">English folk songs: 10 of the best<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-american-folk-songs\/"\">American folk songs: 10 of the best<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/welsh-songs\/"\">Welsh songs: 7 traditional Welsh folk songs you can\u2019t help singing along to<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-irish-folk-songs\/"\">Best Irish folk songs: 6 beautiful, traditional Irish songs you can\u2019t help singing along to<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> There’s nothing like singing along to a good old sea shanty. Here are 5 of the greatest sea shanty songs to sing by the sea, in the pub or at any of the UK’s brilliant sea shanty festivals <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":24995,"template":"","categories":[1,17,96],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/five-of-the-best-sea-shanties.png",1424,893,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/five-of-the-best-sea-shanties-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/five-of-the-best-sea-shanties-300x188.png",300,188,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/five-of-the-best-sea-shanties-768x482.png",768,482,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/five-of-the-best-sea-shanties-1024x642.png",800,502,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/five-of-the-best-sea-shanties.png",1424,893,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/03\/five-of-the-best-sea-shanties.png",1424,893,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"There's nothing like singing along to a good old sea shanty. Here are 5 of the greatest sea shanty songs to sing by the sea, in the pub or at any of the UK's brilliant sea shanty festivals","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/24994"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}