In her book 'Flour Babies' (Carnegie Medal and Whitbread Award winner), Anne Fine uses a sea shanty as part of the plot. The words she uses are:

Unfurl the sail, lads, and let the winds find me
Breasting the soft, sunny, blue rising main
Toss all my burdens and woes clear behind me
Vow I'll not carry those cargoes again
Sail for a sunrise that burns with new maybes
Farewell my loved ones, and be of good cheer
Others may settle to dandle their babies
My heart's a tall ship, and high winds are near

Does anyone know if this is a genuine shanty, has it been adapted from an existing song, or do you think it was written specifically for the book? (the last line is key to the plot)

Bradypus