Shanties and Shenanigans!

[PlumKrazy]

Ahoy, friends!

So not only have I been bitten by the sailing bug, it's eatin' me up.

What's your favorite and perhaps second favorite shanty?

My #1 (right now) is Roll the Old Chariot.

David Coffin had a huge choir of people sing with him in Portsmouth at the 2010 Maritime Folk Festival

If only I was there! You should totally watch it if you haven't seen it before. If you have, watch it again!

My second favorite's gotta be Eliza Lee.

The Dreadnoughts completely massacred it in this video

If you don't fall in love with these shanties, you might be a tad green in the blood and clearly not salty 'nuff.

For kicks, a collection of shanties to wallow in.

I wish everyone knew these like they did a hundred-fifty years ago and still sung them on a daily basis.

I swear I'm going to be spittin' these fiery tunes the rest of my days.

[NoQuarter79]

My fiance and I have a whole playlist of shanties on out iPod. Have you heard any of the songs off of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag? They are great! That game was great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvccU-JeKyk

[PlumKrazy]

Cool! Thanks for the post. I hadn't heard all of these.

[Camcmillen]

I love Shanties. Although I do not listen to them regularly or know any of them all the way through, I want to start listen to them more. Thanks!!!!

[Alan Mighty]

My favourites are capstan shanties, shanties sung while walking the anchor capstan back.

My top favourite capstan shanty is 'Yangtse River Girl'.

Its history is well documented:

The story of its author, Hamish MacLaren, who published the lyrics in 1929: Hamish Maclaren | Poetry | Scottish Poetry Library

The revision of the lyrics by Charlie Ipcar (aka Charley Noble; see: Songs of Charlie Ipcar: Bio) in 2002 and setting of Ipcar's revised lyrics to 'Tommy's gone to Hilo', with Ipcar's recording on Roll & Go: Outward Bound.

MacLaren's lyrics, Ipcar's revised lyrics, and Ipcar's guitar chords are at: mudcat.org: Origins: Yangtse River Shanty

If you're Downunder, Danny Spooner does a pleasant version of YRG at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival and/or the Port Fairy Folk Festival. Should you find a copy of DS's 'Bold Reilly gone away' you're in luck. See: Discography

[Snowpetrel]

I spent a couple of seasons on the Brigantine Soren Larsen when I was younger. Shanties were sung for most big jobs, ie hauling up the gaff main. A great way to get the crew working together as a team, and fun. Whisky jonny was the normal favorite. Enough verses to get the sail up even with a skeleton crew.

Some favorites are of course whisky Johnny, http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/w/whiskeyjohnny.

bound for south Australia. http://folkstream.com/012.html

The captains daughter
http://www.thejohnsongirls.com/PumpShanty.htm

Ratcliff highway, the soren version sung by Terry Cottier was great, as was "Bend yer backs and row me lads and take me to the whale"

Fond memories, but I find shanties need to be sung to be appreciated. Somehow a recording or a performance doesn't do them much justice.