need some sea chanteys

Subject: need some sea chanteys
From: GUEST,Evonne
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 01:33 PM

My students are studying a novel in which the main character is aboard a brig. We would like to learn some sea chanteys that we can sing in class as the characters do on the ship. Any help would be greatly appreciated by all of us.

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: GUEST,JC
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 01:46 PM

One of my favourites is 'The Mermaid':

It was Friday morn, when we set sail, And we were not far from the land. When the captain he spied a mermaid so fair, With a comb and a glass in her hand.

And the ocean winds do blow, And the stormy seas do roar, We poor sailors are skipping at the top, While the land lovers lay down below, below, below, While the land lovers lay down below....etc.

The whole song should be in the DT but the Clancy Brothers do a good rendition of the song, as do many others. Another good one is 'Hey Haul away, hey haul away Joe'. The Clancy's do that one too.

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Amos
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 01:50 PM

Try the links to sea chanetys under the "Links" heading at the top of the page -- there are several which will provide you words and play you tunes as you roll along.

I like this one myself:

http://www.contemplator.com/sea.html

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: GUEST,Barry Finn
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 04:15 PM

Try searching under @sailor or try @sailor@work the DT (database is loaded with them. Good luck, Barry

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From:
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 04:32 PM

Shenandoah is always good. Tom Lewis is a person whose recordings might be good to hear some old or new chanteys.

Nelson's Blood and Paddy Laid Back are a couple of other good ones.

Might suggest looking in the database to see if Chantey or Shanty is in there. Also, there are several web-sites for these types of songs as well.

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 04:43 PM

Keep in mind the distinction between shanties and other sea songs. For instance, The Mermaid above is a sea song, but not a shanty.
A shanty is a work song, designed to get all those arms and bodies and legs working together in the right rhythm for the job to be done. I don't think I'd classify Shenandoah as a shanty because it's not a heavy enough, swinging enough rhythm to help with work.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: T in Oklahoma (Okiemockbird)
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 05:07 PM

In The Seven Seas Shanty Book, edited by retired Merchant Service officer John Sampson, Boosey & Co., London, 1927, "Shenandoah" is listed as a capstan shanty.

In King's Book of Chanties, by Stanton H. King, "Official Government Chanty-Man", (does this title still exist? did it ever ?) Oliver Ditson, Boston, 1918, "Shenandoah" (there called "The Wide Missouri, or Shenandoah") is also listed as a capstan shanty.

In "Sailor Shanties II", by R. R. Terry, Music & Letters, Volume 1, Number 3, July, 1920, "Shenandoah" is identified as a capstan shanty.

T.

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 05:29 PM

The search you want is for @sailor @work---this eliminates noon-sailor songs and non-work songs. Sneaky, huh?

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: GUEST,Arthur K
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 06:19 PM

If you can find 'em, try "Shanties from the Seven Seas" by Stan Hugill, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1961 - excellent collection with hundred of shanties, forebitters and others, plus tunes.

Also for US shanties try William Main Doerflinger's collection of "Shanteymen and Shanteyboys". Very definitive collection published in 1951.

Good luck.

Arthur K.

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 12:06 AM

Look at the Pyrates Royale Website. Remember, sea chanteys were the songs of working men, and therefore some are quite ribald.

RCA has re-release some of the "Living Stereo" albums from the early sixties "Sea Shanties" (09026-63528-2) sung by the men of the Robert Shaw Chorale is excellent.

Wincing Devil
Sphynx cat sleeping on your shoulder... The only wear to wear leather!

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Metchosin
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 12:37 AM

Other good books:

Ships, Sea Songs and Shanties by W.B. Whall (1910) James Brown and Sons

Roll and Go, Songs of American Sailormen by Joanna C. Colcord (1924) Bobbs-Merril Co.

Also The Shanty Book by R.R. Terry (1926) J. Curwen & Sons

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Metchosin
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 01:49 AM

You could also check out the Long Time Ago thread.

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 06:10 PM

You might try picking up a music book title Jerry Silverman's Folk Song Encyclopedia Volume Two Among the selections are "Haul away Joe", "Santy Anno", and "Blood Red Roses" You might also try picking up a couple of Stan Roger's CDs He is now dead but he recorded an extensive collection of nautical music. The Clancy Brothers have a splendid version of "Haul Away Joe" on one of their albums also. Good luck! It's nice to see that someone is endevoring to keep folk music alive these days!, Neil

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: SeanM
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 06:33 PM

Hugill's Shanties of the Seven Seas is arguably the best resource that can be found on sea shanties and songs. It provides lyrics and melody notation for many, many shanties, as well as some history on several of them.

I love the fact that shanties and other folk music are finding their way back into the classroom. Back in my day in school (70's-80's) our music exposure was limited to learning to play "Waltzing Mathilda" on a recorder... and if you can find me anything that will turn you off of music faster than a room full of 10 year olds playing ANYTHING on a recorder, I don't want to know about it.

Keep the faith, fight the good fight, and keep the children learning...

M

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: GUEST,Fishguard Folk Club
Date: 05 Dec 00 - 08:12 AM

We have a session at the Sloop Inn, Porthgain on Saturday 24 February. This will have a theme of "the Sea". I guess this will be a good place to get some chanteys (shanties?) The Folk Club meets every Tuesday evening at the Royal Oak pub Fishguard from 8:30 on. Usually some good sea-songs. See our website pembrokeshire-folk-music.co.uk We have a festival in May every year.

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: sledge
Date: 05 Dec 00 - 09:12 AM

Try www.shanty.org, Dutch based site with a good library of lyrics.

Cheers

Sledge

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Jeri
Date: 05 Dec 00 - 10:55 AM

Here's a site with shanties from lots of places.

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Melani
Date: 05 Dec 00 - 11:53 PM

Stan Rogers recorded sea songs that he mostly wrote himself, and I don't recall any real chanteys. He wrote "Barrett's Privateers" because all his friends were singing chanteys and he didn't know any, so rather than learn some, he wrote his own.

Dick G--is a noon-sailor somebody who sails on his lunch hour? :-)

Subject: Mopping Chanteys?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Dec 00 - 12:17 AM

Come to Camp Harmony this year, Melani. I'm the night cleanup chief for the kitchen, and need people to sing swabbing chanteys - and to swab the decks while they're doing it.

Any good suggestions for mopping chanteys? Did sailors sing as they swabbed?
-Joe Offer in Sacramento-

(Camp Harmony is the annual New Year's gathering of the San Francisco Folk Music Club)

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 06 Dec 00 - 05:05 AM

To add to Arthur K's suggestion, Doerflinger's Shantymen And Shantyboys is now published as Songs Of The Sailor And Lumberman. I second the motion on Hugill. He wrote the bible of shanties. (shanty/shanties is the UK spelling, chantey/chanteys the North American spelling)

Good luck.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: need some sea chanteys
From: GUEST,Winters Wages
Date: 06 Dec 00 - 12:35 PM

Melani, are you mean the Noon Sailor got "three sheets to the wind" on his lunch hour???**BG WW