Beyond Strange New Words: Random Magic Tour: Pirates! Feature: Songs from the Sea (Sea Shanties)

Pirates have always struck me as merry people, their frightening verses joyfully resounding across the seven seas. Singing is fun, it encourages people, makes them be happy and forget their troubles. There is more to the pirates’ singing than just keeping up the spirit, though.

The songs sailors or pirates sang or chanted called sea shanties or sea chants actually had a practical purpose behind. They were sung to give a steady rhythm to various chores men aboard a sail ship had to perform.

Originally, shanties were shouted out. A shantyman, the lead singer, would shout out a verse and than other men would join in as a chorus. The primary purpose of shanties was to synchronise the team work. Jobs on a ship were difficult and it usually took a group of men to do a particular chore. Shanties helped the sailors coordinate their moves. Secondarily, sailors could express their opinion through shanties without inflicting a punishment upon themselves.

Different chores required different rhythm. Therefore, there are several types of shanties. The following are the most common:

Short drag shanties were sung when a rope had to be pulled quickly and required a lot of strength. The pulls coincided with chorus's “haul away, haul” calls.

Long drag shanties or halyard shanties were sung when raising and lowering the sails. Together with wooden yards, canvas sails were very heavy, weighting between one thousand and two and a half thousand pounds. The men would rest during the verse and haul the halyard (the line used for raising/lowering the sails, comes from haul and yard) during the chorus. Depending on the weight of the sail, men would pull one to three times per chorus.

Capstan shanties were sung when raising the anchor. The capstan was a device used to raise the anchor. It had the shape of a mushroom with holes along the top. Sailors inserted bars into the holes and marched around the capstan to raise the anchor. Raising the anchor could take hours, so capstan shanties told long stories and had steady rhythm. Sailors would stamp in the rhythm, hence the term “stamp and go chanties”.

Windlass and pumping shanties were sung during pumping. All wooden ships leaked water a little. The lowest part of the ship was called the bilge and sailors had to pump water from it regularly. Also, the windlass was a pump-like device sometimes used to raise the anchor.

Forecastle (the crew's quarters) and ceremonial shanties were sung for pleasure when men were off duty. Those songs were about romance, famous battles or longing for home. Ceremonial songs were sung when celebrating crossing the equator and the like.

One and the same sea shanty can be categorised as more than one type. The lyrics of a particular shanty often vary considerably but they usually have the same tune.

In no particular order, below are top five sea shanties of my choice with lyrics. The actual pirates are somewhat elusive these days, avoiding the authorities as always, you know, so I had to find these substitutes to do the singing.

Now, put on your pirate hat, get an eye-patch and join the choirboys!

Blow the Man Down

This is a short drag shanty, also mentioned in Random Magic. This is the Disney version adopted for Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down

Way aye blow the man down

Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow him away

Give me some time to blow the man down!

As I was a walking down Paradise Street

Way aye blow the man down

A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet.

Give me some time to blow the man down!

She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow,

Way aye blow the man down

So I took in all sail and cried, "Way enough now."

Give me some time to blow the man down!

So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow

Way aye blow the man down

And yardarm to yardarm away we did go.

Give me some time to blow the man down!

But as we were going she said unto me

Way aye blow the man down

There's a spanking full-rigger just ready for sea.

Give me some time to blow the man down!

But as soon as that packet was clear of the bar

Way aye blow the man down

The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar.

Give me some time to blow the man down!

It's starboard and larboard on deck you will sprawl

Way aye blow the man down

For Captain Jack Sparrow commands the Black Pearl.

Give me some time to blow the man down!

So I give you fair warning before we belay,

Way aye blow the man down

Don't ever take heed of what pretty girls say.

Give me some time to blow the man down!

Haul Away Joe

This is another short drag or halyard shanty.