What is a Shanty?
We're not going to say we're experts, because we certainly aren't. But over the years we've been singing, we've come to know a bit.
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At Shanty Club we sing a lot more than the traditional idea of Sea Shanties. If you want a detailed breakdown of the more traditional notion and history of shanties, you're best looking elsewhere, but here is some information for you, if you're curious about the types of "Shants" we sing.
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Know it all already and want to sing? Excellent news! Let's get you started!
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Fun Fact: The term "Shanty" is believed to be an evolution from the French word 'Chanter' which means 'Chant'.
Keeping work grooving
So you've got to haul a one tonne beam of wood up a mast with a bunch of other sweaty people? Well, you could go "1,2,3 Heave" for 7 minutes OR you could maybe create a tune that helps everyone pull at the same rhythm and enjoy themselves while doing it.
That's how work songs were created. They exist across all types of work, both on the ship, off the ship and in different professions. It's actually thought Shanties were started at the docks where stevedores sung songs to pass the time lugging cargo on and off ships.
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At Shanty Club, we bastardise the term 'Shants' and use it pretty freely on a heap of songs. Here's a few different categories we sing.
Capstan Shants
For long, repetitive tasks like raising the anchor or hauling heavy lines, a steady plodding tune was needed to help sailors maintain a consistent pace and keep their spirits up.
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Examples: Blow the Man Down | Yangtze River
Long-Drag Shants
This is the 'haul a one tonne beam of wood up a mast' type of shanty. You're hauling things like halyards or some of the heavy sails. This needed a couple of strong pulling moments and some moments of rest.
Examples: South Australia | Whisky Johnny | Reuben Ranzo
Short-Haul Shants
Quick, energetic songs for short bursts of work, such as hoisting sails or pulling cargo. Call-and-response style keeps crews coordinated and motivated.
Examples: Haul Away Joe
General Work Shants
Then there's the broad spectrum of other Shants used for a range of work on the ship and at the dock, from scrubbing the deck to running out a small sail. As such they vary wildly in tempo and rhythm.
Examples: Drunken Sailor | Shawnee Town | Dead Horse
Forebitters (Forecastle Shants)
The Forecastle or Forebit was something of a rumpus room for Sailors who were off duty. These are songs sailors sung to pass the time while they were on the ship.
Examples: Ten Thousand Miles Away | Leave Her Johnny
Whaling Shants
While we don't endorse whaling of any kind, there are lots of Shants about the brutal work and life aboard a whaling vessel, a ship that might be at sea for years.
Examples: Old Maui | Farewell to Tarwathie | The Wellerman
Land Shants
Okay now we're starting to take license. But there are heaps of work songs from those that worked on the railroads or down the mines or in the various factories that existed throughout history to also help them pass the time. There are also songs about cotton-picking or sugar-cane farming that were created by enslaved people (songs that we don't sing as they aren't appropriate for us to).
Examples: Linin' Track | Process Man | Byker Hill | Craneman
Celtic Shants
Seriously, we're just taking the piss now. But Irish and Scottish folk music has loads of easy to sing folk songs about their life, their struggles and their exploits in such past times as making alcohol.
Examples: Fields of Athenry | Doon in the Wee Room
Modern Shants
You'd be surprised how many 'Shants' that are sung around the world have been written very recently, either inspired by history or just written off what took the writer at the time. Much of the songs we sing would fall in here or in the Forebitters section.
Examples: The Ocean Liner | De Clisson | Barrett's Privateers
