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Sea Shanty Days
"🎶 What shall we do with the drunken sailor,
What shall we do with the drunken sailor,
Put him in the long boat 'til he's sober.
Early in the Morning?"
~ Traditional
Would you have been tempted to run away to sea if you lived during the Age of Sail? This era, spanning from the 16th century to the mid-19th century, was dominated by majestic sailing ships that ruled global trade and naval warfare. Tall ships navigated the oceans, with timber as their backbone and the seas as their highways. The colors of this tartan tell a vivid story: the blues represent the vast oceans; green symbolizes the forests harvested to build these grand vessels; white stands for the sails that powered them; and red, often the color of the hulls, also reminds us of the lives lost at sea.
If you had run away to sea and returned home, you'd likely bring back a collection of sea shanties to share. These traditional folk songs, known as sea shanties, chanteys, or chanties, were sung to coordinate the rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. Predominantly found on British and other European ships, some shanties were steeped in lore and legend. The tasks on these ships often required coordinated group efforts, such as weighing anchor, setting sail, or winding ropes around a capstan. One of the most famous shanties, "Drunken Sailor," is believed to be one of the few allowed in the Royal Navy.
This is the season for many Sea Shanty Singing Festivals, including the renowned Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, the largest free nautical music and song festival in Europe! ⚓ 🎵
As original work songs, sea shanties usually had a chorus of some sort, in order to allow the crew to sing all together. Many shanties had a "call and response" format, with one voice (the shantyman) singing the solo lines and the rest of the sailors bellowing short refrains in response (compare military cadence calls). The shantyman was a regular sailor, usually self-appointed, who led the others in singing.
'Blow the Man Down' is a well-known halyard shanty, used for hoisting sails and 'pulling' activities, was particularly well used between 1840 and 1870 on packet ships. It makes reference to the infamous 'Black Ball Line', 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 – including one called 'The Black Ball Line'.
For more on sea shanties, click the sailors!