What your favorite sea shanty?

Subject: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Celtic.Relics.com
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:20 PM

What your favorite sea shanty or sailing/fishing tune? A song that captures the life of a sailor or fisher? Just collecting some ideas for my lyrics website on popular eastern Canada songs... but I have ran out of ideas!

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:27 PM

I'm a fan of "The Last Shanty" by Tom Lewis...

And according to the CBC, Canadas most popular acapella song of the sea is "Frobisher Bay" by Tamarack...

Do ya know the song "Lament for the Landlocked Whale"? Damn fine piece of song...

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Celtic.Relics.com
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:30 PM

I've been bugging Tom to come to the east coast for years. Thanks of the suggestions Clinton.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:55 PM

There's a lot of sentiment in Maine now for Vince Morash's "I'm Fishin' Where I'm not Supposed to be."

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 27 May 02 - 02:59 PM

Not really a shanty, but I love "Icy Acres"

"Fare thee well, ye icy acres..." and so on.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Rory B
Date: 27 May 02 - 03:09 PM

My favorites are: Barrett's Privateers Northwest Passage The Mary Ellen Carter All three by the late great Stan Rogers. (yes a Canadian)

Huggs -Rory-

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Celtic.Relics.com
Date: 27 May 02 - 03:23 PM

Stan is greatly missed. A wonderful songwriter.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 27 May 02 - 03:27 PM

That's one reason why it was such a surprise when Tamarack won the CBC radio poll...

;-)

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,Weasle
Date: 27 May 02 - 03:39 PM

There are so many great sea shanty's and ballards, most of which I came across as part of a male voice "Fishermans Chior" while a ex-pat in the middle East many years ago. Like Heart of Oak; The Greenland Whale Fisheries and Shoals of Herring (the latter by Erin MacColl), but my favorite has to be Three Score and Ten, telling of the loss of so many fishermen from Grimsby and the East coast of England following the great storm of 1800 and something

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 27 May 02 - 04:05 PM

Great songs all of them!

But they're not shanties.

My favourite is "General Taylor" or any of the "Stormalong" collection.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 27 May 02 - 04:08 PM

Hey skipper Jack... read the initial post...

"What your favorite sea shanty or sailing/fishing tune?"

got it??

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 27 May 02 - 04:25 PM

OK! Clinton.

My mistake!

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 27 May 02 - 04:48 PM

Whichever one I'm larnin' for next month's chantey sing! (Shawneetown right now)

If I had to pick an all time favorite, I'd say Got No Use For A Shantyman

WD

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: greg stephens
Date: 27 May 02 - 07:11 PM

Simple question.Simple answer. Shallow Brown

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,vectis sans cookie AGAIN
Date: 27 May 02 - 07:21 PM

Any that I can sing and others join in with.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,ozmacca
Date: 27 May 02 - 07:23 PM

For songs of the sea, I've always liked "The Diamond" and "Fareweel Tae Tarwathie" Two great songs with sad stories behind them.

For sea shanties, give me anything that gets the audience stamping feet and joining in. "Rio Grande" or "South Australia" seems to work well, or "The Alabama", if the wind's in the right direction.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 27 May 02 - 07:58 PM

Sea shanties used to have a rhythm appropriate to the work being undertaken while they were sung. Then the "slowing down to lethargy" effect took over ... (I once sang "Lowlands away" at the English National Festival in the company of Stan Hugill and he said it was OK until I slowed down on the last line).

But on the other hand, John Prentice does an interestingly slow and haunting version of "The leaving of Liverpool"

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,juzza
Date: 27 May 02 - 10:29 PM

Peter's Street is a good one. Rollin down to old Maui as well. My favorite fishing tune overall is probably 'The Jeannie C.' By Stan Rogers

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Rich_and_Dee
Date: 28 May 02 - 09:33 AM

For ending a long shanty singalong, "Leave Her, Johnny, Leave Her" always has a haunting effect on me.

"Rolling Down to Old Maui" is a wonderful song to sing as you're lowering your sails and stearing into harbor.

Almost any sea song conjures images of home, love, endurance, courage, lonliness. As a newer song, "The Bergen" by Jez Lowe is a wonderfully crafted song and melody.

Rich

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,Dagenham Doc
Date: 28 May 02 - 10:11 AM

Rolling the woodpile down Haul away for Rosie Plains of Mexico.

Doc

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,mooseman
Date: 28 May 02 - 10:47 AM

I've written whaling songs "First Kill", "Whiskey John". I've written fishing songs like "Halibut" and "Salmon Love". Not to mention sailing songs like "Sailor's Lament" and "Clippership". Its hard to pick a favorite.

Mike Campbell Anchorage, Alaska http://www.arctic.net/~mooseman

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Metchosin
Date: 28 May 02 - 11:12 AM

Oooh so hard.....possibly The Wild Goose Shanty or maybe Santiano as performed by Michael Pratt. Song? Stan's Mary Ellen Carter or Northwest Passage.

And I agree regarding Tamarack, Clinton, there must have been some pretty dammned determined groupies stuffing the ballot box on that one. Not even in the same league.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 28 May 02 - 12:30 PM

Bulley in the Alley, Billy Riley, Roll the old Chariot, Alabama, Roll the Woodpile Down, awh! what the hell, ALL of them, just have to learn them all. JohnB

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,Whippett
Date: 28 May 02 - 12:34 PM

A Silent One !!!!

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 28 May 02 - 01:01 PM

Celtic.Relics -- is your site up and running yet? If so, how do we get there?

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 28 May 02 - 01:34 PM

"Not even in the same league"???

Bollox!

Stan was good, ya... but what's he done lately????

I will always side with the living before I side with the dead...

Frobisher Bay is just as good as Stans writing, and in a bunch of cases, much better...

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: GUEST,Just Amy
Date: 28 May 02 - 02:20 PM

Ah, this is how I got into folk music. I love sea shanties and sea songs. My favorites to sing are "Rollin' down to Old Maui" and "South Australia." Last year I heard an Aussie group sing the latter and the tune had migrated to something different that the US version. Very interesting.

There is a song about the black hills of eastern Canada (Nova Scotia?), but I can't think of it now and haven't heard it in years.

I really like Pint & Dale from Washington state. They sing sea songs and shanties. He plays mandolin & she plays hurdy-gurdy.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Melani
Date: 28 May 02 - 02:34 PM

I have to say "The Wild Goose Chantey" is right up there. As for Pint and Dale, my other favorites include anything on their album "Port of Dreams."

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Weasle
Date: 28 May 02 - 04:50 PM

Thanks for the support Clinton, I thought I made a complete gaff on my first post, (being a virgin Mudcat as it were) and considered impaling myself on a garden stake in shame, not knowing the diference between a shanty and a sea song. Would I ever be able to show my face in public again I thought, would I be given the Ethnic minority coloured spherical object by other Mudcatters? I offer my humblest and most profuse appologies to Skipper for my error in judgement(Have I grovelled enough yet?)

I agree also that Leave Her Johnny is a great song (shanty) to depart on, as is Lowlands (Is this a shanty?)

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Mudlark
Date: 28 May 02 - 06:45 PM

I'm very fond of Tarwathie, love We'll Rant and We'll Roar...but my favorite, I think, is hmmmmm, don't actually know the name, tho I've sung it for 40 years....Go to Sea No More, maybe, as that's what ends it...starts out When I went to Liverpool, I went upon a spree....

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Jon Bartlett
Date: 28 May 02 - 09:12 PM

It's curious that the most enjoyable shanties to sing are not necessarily the most interesting to listen to. My favourite to sing these days is Yankee Ship ("A Yankee ship came down the river/Shallow, O Shallow Brown/A Yankee ship in the Congo River/Shallow O Shallow Brown"). The tune is, I'm told by my SO, a dreary one to listen to but there's a shift between the two couplets which get me every time. I find I can't listen to much of the new sea stuff I hear because of its overwhelming sentimentality, a characteristic entirely missing from the traditional pieces. The shanties which seemed to work best on the shantysinging on board WAWONA at Seattle Folklife last weekend were the Caribbean ones (such as John Cherokee and Run Come See).

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 28 May 02 - 11:17 PM

Favorite chantey (currently, as favorites change) the Welsh capstan chantey "Hob Y Deri Dando." Thanks to Llanfair and Gareth for translating some phrases for me.

Favorite fishing song, "Scarborough Fisherman" by Richard Grainger, a wonderful Yorkshire singer and songwriter.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 29 May 02 - 03:52 AM

John Kanaka

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Snuffy
Date: 29 May 02 - 08:32 AM

I was looking for "Hob Y Deri Dando" last night - seem to remember a thread on it a while back, but I got no results from Supersearch.

Anyone give me a clue?

WassaiL! V

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 May 02 - 08:38 AM

I likes 'em with real bite! "Blood-Red Roses," "Fire Maringo, and "Fire Down Below."

Cheerily,
Charley Noble
Roll & Go

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: curmudgeon
Date: 29 May 02 - 09:47 AM

This is like asking a parent to choose a favorite child!

My proclivities at this moment would be, maybe:

Billy Riley or Little Sally Racket for short hauls, for long hauls, Heave Away My Johnnie or Hilo John Brown or Sally Brown;for bunting, there's only one, Paddy Doyle. Pumping/windless shanties migh be All For Me Grog or Whup Jamboree. Forebitters include the Leaving of Liverpool, Paddy West, Ratcliffe Highway, Off to Sea Once More, Short Jacket and White Trousers, Outward Bound, Maggie May, and I think I'd better stop here -- Tom

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Celtic.Relics.com
Date: 29 May 02 - 10:40 AM

Many thanks for all of the great suggestions..... check out y growing songbook of lyrics at http://www.celtic.relics.com/songbook

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Gina Dunlap
Date: 29 May 02 - 10:55 AM

Wings of a Gull always gets me...Lowlands, Sir Patrick Spens, Leave Her Johnny, Leave Her, Fed our Seas. I've just joined the mudcat family so I hope to meet some of you at Mystic.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 29 May 02 - 12:26 PM

Ummm... not to be a fly in the ointment, but have you got permission from the artists who's work you have posted there?

That is technically copyright infringement no?

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 29 May 02 - 02:36 PM

All those, and most of Cyril Tawney's songs, especially Gey Funnel Line, Chicken on A Raft, and Diesel And Shale.
One more day,
Keith.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Mr Red
Date: 29 May 02 - 05:05 PM

Blood Red Roses aka Bunch of Roses
had to be dinnit?

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 29 May 02 - 05:12 PM

Mot of the songs mentioned above, even though they are sea music, are not chanteys. A chantey is call and response, similar in style and often in content to 'field hollers.' Their purpose is to provide rhythm to coordinate work. I happen to love both. For an interesting experience, try John Kanaka as a rowing chantey and see what it does to your presentation. See you at Mystic.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 May 02 - 08:21 PM

Shenandoah
Shallow Brown
Blood Red Roses
Jamboree...

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 30 May 02 - 12:28 AM

A few favorites. Miss Celia (BWI), Come Down You Bunch of Roses (Bahamas), Hard Times in Ol Virgina & Oh, Riley (Georgia Sea Islands)Won't You Help Me To Raise Em, Manhaden Fisheries, Carolina coast.
P.S. Hi Gina nice to see you here & it'll be great see/hear you at Mystic. See ya.
Barry

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 30 May 02 - 04:06 AM

There have actually been quite a few chanteys listed here, along with fishing songs, forebitters, etc.

Gina, EBarnacle - will look for you at Mystic. I'll be easy to spot at the sea music festival. I'm caucasian, have a beard, and carry an instrument. :-)

Snuffy - I'll PM you the lyrics I have for Hob Y Deri Dando. Off for some much needed sleep now, but look for them in your messages tomorrow night. (unless someone else can get them to you earlier)

chanteyranger

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 30 May 02 - 06:29 AM

Well lads and lasses! You will probably hear a version of "Hob Y Derri Dando" being sung at the Mystic Sea Song Festival by The Welsh Shanty Group, Baggyrinkle.

Look out for them, round and about on the Thursday, Friday & Saturday!

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: curmudgeon
Date: 30 May 02 - 08:22 AM

For those who can't make Mystic, Baggyrinkle will also be at Songs of Sail 2002 in Kennebunk. See the thread Sea Songs - Maine & NH for more details -- Tom

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: fogie
Date: 30 May 02 - 09:11 AM

Not neccessarily shanties, but other such songs to check out .... the losing of the Ellen on the ice ( itll grip your timbers like a vice , itll shave your planks away ) a Canadian song I believe, and a cracking song by Ar Log I cant understand much of called Flat Huw Pugh about Hugh Pughs flat boat or barge or narrow boat.

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: SharonA
Date: 30 May 02 - 09:38 AM

In addition to some of the others already mentioned, one of my faves is "Eddystone Light".

Subject: RE: What your favorite sea shanty?
From: ChanteyMatt
Date: 30 May 02 - 02:45 PM

I've heard many a song. It would be impossible to pick one out of the lot. I have the fondest memories of the shanties we adapted to the ship/crew/officers of the moment. Recently, I listened, again, to "Tow-Rope Girls". It's not a shanty but I love the words of C.Fox Smith.