Here are some notes regarding "Heave Ya Ho"

Battlefield Band
Rain, Hail or Shine
Heave Ya Ho
The basis of this song was sung to Davy of The Battlefield Band by an old oyster fisherman from Prestonpans, a small town on the Firth of Forth. The oystermen fished in two rowing boats, heading parallel to each other and the shore with a weighted net dragging (or dreggin) between them. Songs like "Heave Ya Ho" would help them keep rowers and therefore the boats in time with each other.

url=http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/kmsufm/wbpl/playList/WB98-06.html