Ahoy Traveler! This is Elsie, your host of Tunes from the Tavern, the fantasy/ bardcore show here on WMWC.
Today’s show we will be diving (haha) into the history of sea shanties! Don’t worry though, it won’t all be me spouting fun facts, I have a great collection of song here for you.
But first, we’re going to be hearing a lot of men today, but there are many modern bands that have been bringing in female singers for shanties! Here are two of my favorites.
- Longest Johns “Banks of Newfoundland”
- Misbehavin’ Maidens “Twiddles”
Sea Shanties originated as work songs, and were most popular in the mid 19th century, but had been around for hundreds of years before. These songs were sung during repetitive work both for entertainment and to keep pace if the task required such. The most common format for singing was a sailor would take on the role of the “Shantyman” and sing the verses, while the crew would join in for the chorus. Here are some examples of Shantyman-led songs;
- The Sheringham Shantymen “Pump shanty”
- Colm R. McGuinness “Roll Boys Roll”
- David Coffin “Roll the old chariot along”
That last song, David Coffin’s “Roll the Old Chariot Along” is one of my favorites. I wanted to look into David Coffin, and it turns out that he runs musical enrichment programs for children that teach them about Shanties and their history which is so cool.
I’m a proud member of the Mary Washington Renaissance club, and it has been a huge help for this show. I asked another member of the club, who is very knowledgeable on sea shanties, about research resources and song recommendations. So here are some songs he suggested that I think emulate the history of these songs.
- Jerry Bryant, Starboard Mess “Spanish Ladies”
- Stan Rodgers “Rolling down to old Maui”
- The Fisherman’s Friends “South Australia”
In 2013, Ubisoft games released the fourth installment of the Assassins Creed series titles Black Flag. Black Flag takes place during the Golden Age of Piracy (1715-1722). In the game there are 34 shanties you can “collect”. I did not have time to historically check every single song, but I can say at least the vast majority of these songs are covers, or based on hisotric shanties. Here are a few;
- “Leave Her Johnny”
- “Randy Dandy Oh”
- “Lowlands Away”
I want to say it was in 2020, but around that time in the pandemic, there was a mini fantasy revival. One part of that was a sudden appreciation for Sea Shanties. One band that benefited form this was the Longest Johns. I love this band, I’ve already played one of their songs this show. But here’s two more, they’re a little more sad;
- The Longest Johns “Mingulay Boat Song”
- The Longest Johns “Bones in the Ocean”
Most songs that have come from the Shanty revival, or just modern Shanty songs add more modern elements like rock instrumentation, or just more instrumentation in general. In our second-to-last section, I’ll bring you back to modern day with;
- Ye Banished Privateers “You and Me and the Devil make three”
- Storm Weather Shanty Choir “Fish in the Sea”
- Nickleback, The Lottery Winners “Rockstar Sea Shanty”
By the turn of the 20th Century, steam powered boats had made shanties inconsequential and sailors had lost the songs for the most part. But there are people keeping the tradition alive, you can find Shantymen at your local ren faire, or at historic ports.
To finish out the show today, here’s
- Ashley Serena “My Jolly Sailor bold”
Well traveler, it’s time to go on your way. Thank you for joining me at WMWC and I’ll see you next week
Sources:
https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Sea-Shanties
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2021/01/a-deep-dive-into-sea-shanties
https://www.ign.com/wikis/assassins-creed-4-black-flag/Shanties