Forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere, but the source is new to me.

While searching I came upon this literary reference to a "shanty song" which may provide evidence -- or at least fodder -- for discussion of the origin of the term "shanty" ("chantey", etc.) in connection with the North American lumbermen's shanties (huts).

The source is the following:

1842        O'Grady, Standish. _The Emigrant, A Poem, in Four Cantos._ Montreal: Standish O'Grady.

The author was an Irish immigrant to the Quebec area, born ca. 1789/90. The preface to his poetry is dated 1841.

Early in the work, one finds lines that show that the author was familiar with the fact that sailors used work-songs. He writes (pg13),

The day arrived, at length, with favouring gale,

Our main sails flutter, and our ships set sail;

Now cheerly sings, each bold intrepid tar,

Shanty-singing as we know it seems to have yet been very young at that time. O'Grady's use of the word "cheerly" might be a double reference to the chant "Cheerl'y Men," which is one of the early work songs we know to have existed prior to the great emergence of the large chanty repertoire we now know (probably after the mid 1830s).

In/around a section of miscellaneous poems comes the real piece of interest. By calling it a "shanty song," it is unclear what he meant. Was it a song pertaining to the so-called "shanty-boys," the lumberjacks? It seems to refer to lumbermen going to their work sites in Lower Canada. And yet the way they are going is by canoe. Phrases in the song use idioms from both typical rowing songs and sailors' songs. Does "shanty" refer to the maritime work-song, as we know it?

What does he mean by "shanting boys"? Is "shanting" what they are doing -- singing as they go (row)?

If "shanty" here is referring to a song, then this would be the earliest yet discovered use of the term.

If it merely refers to the lumberman's hut, then at least the very nautical tone of the some provides some fodder for the theory of connecting the work songs to lumbermen. It would also be a good early reference to non-Blacks performing rowing songs in America. It is, unfortunately, not a traditional song, so we don't get a traditional form. But this literary composition is suggestive of what may have been there.

Here is the composition.

SHANTY SONG.

TO A NEW AND APPROPRIATE AIR.

We leave all is dear, at the falling year, 

'Fore the bleak snows come and the frosts appear, 

O'er the wide lakes we creep, 

Rocked by the billows sleep, 

And through the rough rapids wc boldly steer. 
      
    Then row, brothers row, 
      
    Let the rude winds blow, 

Shove the canoe like ranting boys, 
      
    With liquor and good cheer, 
   
    And none an heart to fear. 

Merry be the woodland shanting boys.

To dangers we go, where the snow storms blow, 

And the ice-bound rivers cease to flow,
Where the axe with the sound,
In the valleys resound, 

As we chaunt to the woodlands, row boys, row, 
      
    Then row brothers, row, &c. &c. &c.

When the danger's aft. on the merry raft, 

All safe to the distant port we go,
With brave Britons to cheer, 

As with light hearts we near, 

How joyful to join in the yeo-heare-ho. 
      
    Then row, brothers, row.

Now the winter's pass'd, and the snow storm's blast, 

And the summer smiles, and the rivers go, 

How happy to dwell, 
   
In each lone loved dell: 

Blow high, blow low, where our light hearts glow. 
      
    Then row, brothers, row, 
      
      Let the rude winds blow, 

Shore the canoe, like ranting boys, 
      
    With good liquour to cheer, 
      
    And none an heart to fear, 

Merry be the woodland shanting boys.