Work chants and sea Shanties

Singing Sailors? Sea shanties began as simple chants that were used by sailors to organize their work Usually they were call and response Eventually these became more complex

Raising and lowing the sails and anchor took massive amounts of effort This was not a very fun job

- By the time Robert Louis Stevenson published Treasure Island, sea shanties were going out of fashion

- Sea shanties have since found their way into American folk music https://youtu.be/ufWdpNSs3DM

Blow the man down But as we were a-going she said unto me "There's a spankin' full rigger just ready for sea" That spankin' full rigger to New York was bound She was very well mannered and very well found But as soon as that packet was clear of the bar The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar As soon as that packet was out on the sea 'Twas devilish hard treatment of every degree So I give you fair warning before we belay Don't never take heed of what pretty girls say. As I was out walkin' down Paradise street, (Chorus) To me way, hey, blow the man down! A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet, (Chorus) Give me some time to blow the man down! She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow (Chorus) So I took in all sail and cried "way enough now" I hailed her in English, she answered me clear "I'm from the Black Arrow bound to the Shakespeare" So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow And yard-arm to yard-arm, away we did go

Blackball line In the Black Ball line I served my time (Chorus) To me way-aye-aye, hurray-ah And that's the line where you can shine Hurrah for the Black Ball Line The Black Ball Ships are good and true They are the ships for me and you For once there was a Black Ball Ship That fourteen knots an hour could clip They'll carry you along through frost and snow And take you where the wind don't blow You will surely find a rich gold mine Just take a trip in the Black Ball Line Just take a trip to Liverpool To Liverpool, that Yankee school The Yankee sailors you'll see there With red-top boots and short-cut hair At Liverpool docks we bid adieu To Poll and Bet and lovely Sue And now we're bound for New York Town It's there we'll drink, and sorrow drown

Common topics How the sailors were treated What they will do when they reach land again Where they are going and where they have been Description of the quality of their ship The types of people they met in their travels