The chanty's identity lies in the chorus and, perhaps, a melody hook (or general melodic contour). HIP HOP HURRAY, HO, HEY! The rest is expendable. However, the first line or lines ("regulation" lines, in Hugill's parlance) are often consistent because they clue in the chorus on what chanty is being sung so they can come in correctly the first time.

My take is like this
Tiddy I O

I mean c'mon -- Chanties minus working context equals almost pure textual emphasis. (Though you do find people trying to groove to the meager beats, whereas they'd do better at a dance club.) In a "performance," if someone is just going to repeat the same ol' words from a record/book/folkie every time for the entire song...yawn. No wonder why the "younger generation" doesn't give a toot: nothing new being said, no contemporary relevance. The only way they can get into it is through pyrate gimmicks, or if by chance they fall into a local maritime program, or if they are goody-two shoes that like to impress their folkie grandparents.

On the other hand, it is of the greatest importance for writers to have collected the many verse lyrics of chanties they heard, not because they are a prescription for performance, but because they show the *kinds* of lyrics being sung and provide so many textual *clues* to what/when/where was going on.

Sorry to drift away...