Well, Dr. Carr, we must treat this as definitive, I'd say. Thanks for the good info.

I've started replacing the grunt -- which now seems universal -- with what Stan called a "hitch": a combination of a yelp and a yodel. According to many sources, hitches were a hallmark of the true chanteyman (not that I'm claiming to be one at all). That half note on "Ya!" in the Colcord 3rd line just cries out for something extra. One can elide into the hitch without disrespecting the timing.

Jerry