Pirate Music & Sea Shanties

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"...I soon got used to this singing, for the sailors never touched a rope without it. Sometimes, when no one happened to strike up, and the pulling, whatever it might be, did not seem to be getting forward very well, the mate would always say, 'Come men, can't any of you sing? Sing now and raise the dead.' And then some one of them would begin, and if every man's arms were as much relieved as mine by the song, and he could pull as much better as I did, with such a cheering accompaniment, I am sure the song was well worth the breath expended on it. It is a great thing in a sailor to know how to sing well, for he gets a great name by it from the officers, and a good deal of popularity among his shipmates. Some sea captains, before shipping a man, always ask him whether he can sing out at a rope." -Herman Melville Redburn, chapter 9, (1849)

The role of music was very important to the age of sail.  The rhythmic songs (known as "Sea Shanties") served to both boost onboard morale on long voyages and to coordinate the brute strength of the sailors.  Many tasks, such as raising the ships anchor, loading cargo, adjusting spar elevations on tall ships, hauling lines and more could involve several tons worth of dead weight.  It was only through the coordinated effort of the crew that made these tasks possible. Not only useful, these songs have always also been fairly catchy.  In fact, many of these tunes still survive today and have only been slightly modified over the centuries. Click on the links below to learn more about the history of shipboard music or to see the lyrics to some of these great songs.

What is a Sea Shanty? (a.k.a. Shanties, chanties, chanty) Click above for a brief overview of what a sea shanty is, the various types of shanties, what each type was used for and more... Shanty Lyrics! Learn the words and sound like a REAL pirate: Short-Haul Shanties Boney Haul Away Joe Haul on the Bowline Paddy Doyle Round the Corner Sally Halyard and Long-Drag Shanties Alabama The Black Ball Line Blow the Man Down Cheerily Man The Dead Horse Shanty The Drunken Sailor Early in the Morning Hanging Johnny Highland Laddie Huckleberry Hunting A Long Time Ago Reuben Ranzo Roll and Go Roll the Cotton Down Roll the Old Chariot Whiskey Johnny Capstan, Windlass, and Pumping Shanties Alabama John Cherokee A-Rollin' Down the River A Rovin' Across the Western Ocean Amsterdam Away Rio Can't Ye Dance the Polka? Cape Cod Girls The Codfish Shanty Farewell to You, Ye Fine Spanish Ladies The Fire Ship Galloping Randy Dandy O! The Gals O' Dublin Town Get Up, Jack! John, Sit Down! Goodbye, Fare You Well Go To Sea No More Heave Away Homeward Bound John Cherokee John Kanaka Johnny Come Down To Hilo Jolly Rovin' Tar The Liverpool Girls Leave Her, Johnny Lowlands The Maid of Amsterdam Mister Stormalong New York Girls One More Day Paddy, Lay Back Randy Dandy O! Rio Grande Rolling King Sally Brown Santy Anna The Saucy Arabella Shanghai Brown South Australia Spanish Ladies Stormalong We're All Bound to Go Yo, Heave Ho! Forecastle Songs and Ballads All For Me Grog The Banks of the Sacramento Ben Backstay The Big Five-Gallon Jar Blow, Ye Winds Captain Kidd The Ebenezer Greenland Fishery Heart of Oak High Barbaree Homeward Bound Larry Marr The Lass of Mohea Little Fishes The Mermaid Rollin' Down to Old Maui Sacramento Shenandoah Modern Sea Songs Barrett's Privateers The Last Shanty Northwest Passage Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum! (a.k.a. "The Derelict") Sloop John B.

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