Hugill used the n-word in his book, because that is how he learned the songs--but fortunately, it has the same number of syllables as "sailor," which can easily be substituted. We absolutely do not allow that word at our chantey sings, which we had to explain last year to someone who was into total historical accuracy. But we have recently had a problem with someone who is objecting to much milder terms--specifically "yellow gals"--which most of us do not consider similarly offensive. Though I realize it was used to refer to blacks of mixed parentage, in many cases it's not clear if the singer is describing black, Asian or Latino girls. And often it's used along the lines of "Those yellow gals I do adore, with their shining eyes and long black hair," or something similar, which makes it sound merely descriptive, as well as admiring. And of course a sailor who'd been at sea for a couple of years would have also admired green or purple gals. Any thoughts?