The hauling chantey John Kanaka has some Hawaiian influence in the melody. "Kanaka" means a Hawaiian man, in the native language. Hawaiian sailors worked aboard some American and British square-riggers. The other sailors often had tyrouble promouncing the Hawaiian names, so they called them "Kanakas." Check the digital tradition for lyrics. There are some great lyrics to do with kids. PM me if you'd like, and I'll pass them on to you. You can also get kids involved in making up lyrics to this (which is what chanteymen did). I find this one works with 3rd and 4th graders best, then gets a little iffy with 5th graders - a mixed reaction, at least in the SF bay area, and 6th graders? Try another song. I have to say, though, that when I sang it at a community ceili in Alaska last year, kids of all ages loved it. Depends how jaded they are, I guess.