Did Pirates Really Sing Sea Shanties? It’s Complicated

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Songs like “A Pirate’s Life for Me” and “Dead Man’s Chest” are as prevalent in pirate lore as eye patches or treasure maps. But these tunes were written more than a hundred years AFTER the Golden Age of Piracy. In this episode of Rogue History, we trace the roots of TikTok’s viral sea shanties and examine the types of music pirates likely heard on the open seas.
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Rogue History
Shaking off the barnacles from this wildly popular storytelling canon, this Pirates historical series is an enlightening voyage that unravels historical myths, unearths lost narratives, and discovers fresh perspectives. This is the pirate history you were never told.
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00:00 Intro
00:43 Purpose of Sea Shanties
02:01 Pirates Used "Sing-outs" or Drum Cadences
02:42 Sea Songs for Entertainment
03:26 Sea Ballads as Storytelling
04:47 What Shanties May Have Actually Sounded Like
05:40 Influence of African Work Songs on Shanties
07:02 Music Helped Break Language Barriers
07:42 Antiphony in Contemporary Music

Пікірлер: 249

  • @EphemeralTao
    @EphemeralTao Жыл бұрын

    The tunes for a lot of these shanties very likely changed over time and between ship crews as well. The fact that very few of them were written down before the 19th century means a lot of the original tunes were lost; and it's clear that some of the writers set them to common Irish, English, and Scottish folk melodies by the time they were written down.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    They weren't written down before the 19th century because they didn't exist before the 19th century. The nature of the genre is such that you didn't take lyrics and apply a tune to it. Rather, the tunes and choruses were there and you elaborate words upon them. The tunes needed to be relatively stable since they were the main thing you were remembering, as a group, to function, whereas lyrics are what were varied.

  • @Boomstickfan495

    @Boomstickfan495

    Жыл бұрын

    Thats often why modern shanty singers dont care often too much about "original composition" - because often we don't even know the original one, or if the song itself was cobbled together overtime. So they elect to take about as much liberty with their pieces as the original singers would have.

  • @sirBrouwer

    @sirBrouwer

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hultonclint they did exist. there are old documents within the Archive of the Dutch province of Zeeland where a few where mentioned. the thing is between a santy or just any other everyday (non religious) song there was not really a difference. unless a song was tied to a location. or other important information like there was a song they always sung around the Danish coast near Copenhagen. mainly to help navigating that area. If the song was sung with the correct speed that bolder in the water you sang about should be to starboard of the ship.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    @@sirBrouwer What shanties were mentioned in this Archive? It's a particular genre of song. It's not just any song anywhere anytime sung on water. If you want to know more about the genre and it's characteristics, see here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/h4igrZuJfczNY84.html

  • @sirBrouwer

    @sirBrouwer

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hultonclint shanties or also known as sailor songs where quite often used for the same purpose as mentioned in this very video. like: Den Deansh weater or. Bestevaer de Ruijter Piet Hein en den Zilver vloot. and they were used for both keeping in a cadans but also pride when needed.

  • @samwill7259
    @samwill7259 Жыл бұрын

    Human beings abhor a vacuum of silence How wonderful is it that our bodies were given the ability to make music wherever we go?

  • @DFX2KX

    @DFX2KX

    Жыл бұрын

    "humans abhor a vacuum of silence" Meanwhile my right ear: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

  • @lrfcowper
    @lrfcowper Жыл бұрын

    Amusing how many of those 7 billion+ sea shanty TikToks are to one particular song -- the Sea Shanty Medley by the country a cappella group Home Free that they produced on a whim during lockdown.

  • @loam6740

    @loam6740

    Жыл бұрын

    7 billion views not independent videos

  • @lrfcowper

    @lrfcowper

    Жыл бұрын

    @@loam6740 Apologies. I misspoke (-typed)?

  • @piplupcola

    @piplupcola

    Жыл бұрын

    Actually it started with Wellerman which got popular because of a video The Longest John's made of them singing it while playing Sea of Theives

  • @AstraA000

    @AstraA000

    Жыл бұрын

    @@piplupcola lol I thought it got popular because of wellerman and Scottish singer Nathan Evans oops I know nothing I feel kinda dumb now haha

  • @aquaticangel3380

    @aquaticangel3380

    7 ай бұрын

    @@AstraA000 I know this comment is quite old, but you’re not entirely wrong! it got popular at first thought the longest johns, then after being shared around a bit nathan evans released his version, which then went viral and made the song even more popular. so in short, tlj did it first and played a crucial role, but nathan evans was what really made it blow up

  • @hankrearden20
    @hankrearden20 Жыл бұрын

    One day in San Francisco, I was touring the Maritime Museum, going from ship to ship. In my wanderings I came across some of the employees of the Museum and a group of teenage volunteers working a capstan lifting a cargo net out of the hold. Curious about how an old manual capstan felt, I asked if I could join in. To which they said, sure. While I was winding the capstan with the volunteers, one of the employees, all tattoos and piercings, was coiling the cable coming off the capstan into a nice tight coil, all the time singing a song, of all things, about working a capstan. I wished I had asked him to teach me that song. But I never did.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    Just tell us the chorus of the song or some fragment of lyrics and we can probably remember it for you.

  • @gourdguru

    @gourdguru

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hultonclint this. i've been obsessed with sea shanties and irish folk/rebel music for far longer than the shanty meme was a thing. give us a few bars we can probly pin it down for you. also search for capstan shanties, since that's a specific category of shanties that's cadence was designed for the job, and if it makes mention of capstan work a main theme then chances are it'll be on the list. of the top o my head 'my thinking of "randy dandy o", a capstan shanty that in part goes: Man the stout caps'n an' heave with a will Way, hay, roll an' go Soon we'll be drivin' her 'way down the hill To be rollicking randy dandy-O Heave a pawl, o heave away Way, hay, roll an' go The anchor's on board an' the cable's all stored To be rollicking randy dandy-O

  • @SiqueScarface

    @SiqueScarface

    Жыл бұрын

    Might it have been ""Call all hands to man the capstan"?

  • @hankrearden20

    @hankrearden20

    Жыл бұрын

    I wished I could remember any of the lyrics. It was both enthralling and yet ephemeral at the same time. It was quite impressive and yet all too brief. And remember, I was moving in a circle straining at the bars while he sang.

  • @hankrearden20

    @hankrearden20

    Жыл бұрын

    @@SiqueScarface After looking up the lyrics, sadly I'd have to say no. No mention of England in his song.

  • @grizzthegreen4500
    @grizzthegreen4500 Жыл бұрын

    But i do appreciate how homie is dressed like Frederick Douglass

  • @cocoa_kiss
    @cocoa_kiss Жыл бұрын

    The moment the shanty was define as a way of spreading news and stories I couldn't stop comparing it to the folkloric Puerto Rican music of plena. It is known as the "newspaper of the people", hand drums are the main instruments, it always uses antiphony, and to this day is used in picketing.

  • @thatguyinaband6341

    @thatguyinaband6341

    Жыл бұрын

    for real right!? Afro Caribbean culture is so under rated! ever heard Changui!? it's a badass afro cuban form of music recently converted to rock by this crazy Miami Cuban kzread.info/dash/bejne/o42c18eJeqqcccY.html haha hit CC for english subs if you need, and have a wonderful day!

  • @butwhytho4858
    @butwhytho4858 Жыл бұрын

    My grandfather wasn’t a pirate, but he did serve in WWII with the Navy. Growing up he taught me a ton of songs and made up catchy lyrics for anything. Even making his famous caramel popcorn had a song while he stirred. He wasn’t a softie, but even a big rough n’ tough ol’ sailor can feel approachable and likable when everything he did had a tune and a dance.

  • @deborahberger5816

    @deborahberger5816

    Жыл бұрын

    My own Dad and as in the army during WWII. His Navy veteran friends sang, but he never shared them with me. I'd love to know some your grandfather's songs. I have a degree in folklore (please don't laugh!), and I'd love to add them to me collection.

  • @butwhytho4858

    @butwhytho4858

    Жыл бұрын

    @@deborahberger5816 oh sharing that would just make my day hahah It doesn’t have nearly the same affect as hearing the tune with it, but this was the popcorn song he must have come up with himself because I can’t seem to find anything on it online: “Here he comes, the popcorn man. Pops them like no one can. Got five cents in your hand. Give it to the popcorn man. ~ Hear it Pop.. to the sky. They sing this lullaby. It’s good for boys, it’s good for men, makes old maids like girls again! Give it tooo the popcorn man.” This was a song he started on the ship and shared with the other guys. It doesn’t have the ominous tone most shanties had/are known for, but this was the one I liked most as a kid because it made us all so happy. He later became a father of 10. All 10 children have college degrees (4 are specialized medical Dr.S!) He opened a five & dime store, and a burger/ice cream business. He was a city councilman, never having lost an election. He stopped running when he said politics was too corrupt even at a small level. At the age of 43 his wife gave in to Alzheimer’s and could no longer recognize him, speak, or walk, but he still went to feed her every day for the rest of her life; 20+ years. Finally, on his 10th heart attack, he passed away. The last thing he said was “those clouds look like popcorn… I’m coming to meet ya Mama” (he referred to his wife as Mama). On a side note, my other grandfather was Air Force and they didn’t have songs such as these. At least not where he was. Again thnx for asking as it made my day, and I hope your collection grows! Ps: If you come across these lyrics elsewhere, plz come let me know! I don’t want to give misinformation if the song wasn’t his to lay claim to! Also my apologies for rambling on on KZread comments 😆 I figured if you were making a collection, some back story might be fun. 😊

  • @jujutrini8412

    @jujutrini8412

    10 ай бұрын

    @@butwhytho4858 I think this might be the most endearing KZread comment I have ever seen. I love your obvious affection for your dear departed grandfather. It erred me up no end.

  • @byronofrothdale

    @byronofrothdale

    5 күн бұрын

    Not surprising at all. Shanties are to the navy as march songs to the army. Think for example "Toque a degüello", the Spanish song for no mercy. The horns evolved from an Arabic melody.

  • @katebowers8107
    @katebowers8107 Жыл бұрын

    Always love Joel’s delivery!

  • @spennyb89
    @spennyb89 Жыл бұрын

    Love the violin at the end!

  • @flamencoprof

    @flamencoprof

    Жыл бұрын

    You might like Carolina Chocolate Drops: Snowden's Jig kzread.info/dash/bejne/oKCdy7R9naXIdbQ.html

  • @Beryllahawk
    @Beryllahawk Жыл бұрын

    Very well done! Fascinating to understand the literal rhythms of a sailor's work because of songs. I feel like most of us have plain forgotten what "sailing a ship" used to mean. It would never have occurred to me before this to consider the importance of synchrony in the tasks, because frankly I haven't any grasp of the scale of the vessels of that time. At best I vaguely know how to row a very tiny boat, personally (I grew up in the desert) and even then I never quite got the hang of the necessary sync for THAT. Dozens of men trying to do something not only physically taxing but requiring specific unified efforts? In a roaring storm on a tossing ship? With this - now that takes on a much different look in my imagination. Modern vessels that can be run by one or two guys is just NOT the same, but I don't think that really hit me until now.

  • @danielland3767

    @danielland3767

    Жыл бұрын

    The cool part about this is, during my time in the Army (98-06) we would call cadence to synchronized our strides during company runs. To get 50 to 75+ people with various lengths of strides was a task that only a cadence can do. At one unit in Korea (2002) we commonly took the popular hip hop or rap song that could be a cadence and did just that. So even in using popular music we kept in sync, when we had to loop ourselves in a circle to wait for stragglers we commonly had a impromptu dance circle where we could stay in step, while moving our torso & arms in any manner till we started to run straight ahead again. This process also worked when we needed to slow the run down for either the slower runners or to catch our breath. On a marching rhythm the speed of the cadence was more of a rhythmic effect, like reading a poem if you will. Our telling a story that had to be repeated to move the song along. Both a running candace & marching cadence could be changed to various degrees and alibis but seeing this as the orgin of military cadences is wonderfully cool to see now

  • @Beryllahawk

    @Beryllahawk

    Жыл бұрын

    @@danielland3767 That is amazing!

  • @danielland3767

    @danielland3767

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Beryllahawk right! What's more amazing to me is the orgin of the cadence & where it came from. Most ancient civilizations had only a Navy and Army, with I'm sure logically they used the Navy to get the Army to various locations accessible or moved faster via water. So it makes sense now that a sea shanty would make itself into a cadence when you look at how ancient militaries were designed.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    @@danielland3767 It's nothing to do with ancient militaries. African Americans introduced the singing method both to American merchant vessels (chanties were not a Navy thing) and the American Army. The resemblance--along with the easy ability to apply hip hop bars to cadence--is because all originate from the African American forms that developed in the 19th century.

  • @danielland3767

    @danielland3767

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hultonclint of course, I'm not denying that, they how that in the vide8and mentioned the hip hop influence as well

  • @woodencoyote4372
    @woodencoyote4372 Жыл бұрын

    Stevenson invented the chorus of "Dead Man's Chest" to make his pirates sound more menancing, but in the book the song that is actually mentioned or sung the most is "Lillibullero", an 1688 march that had made it's into popular culture by the time the book takes place.

  • @marthaevans8270
    @marthaevans8270 Жыл бұрын

    My mother, a Pennsylvania music educator in the 1940/50s, added the Burl Ives records and shanty songs to her curriculum. Ives was a great popularizer! She often taught me those songs at home. I still have the song book.

  • @butwhytho4858

    @butwhytho4858

    Жыл бұрын

    This made my heart smile. My tough ex sailor (Navy) grandfather taught me so many songs they would sing on WWII. Our large family still sings these shanty style songs. It’s a bitter sweet memory huh? Lol

  • @ginnyjollykidd
    @ginnyjollykidd Жыл бұрын

    The _Wellerman_ song you played gives an easy and enduring way to remember a contract. A conscripted crewman knows the name of the ship they'll meet, what they expect to take from her, and the conditions upon which their contract will end. All in the chorus: Soon may the _Wellerman_ come To bring us sugar and tea and rum. One day when the toungin' is done, We'll take our leave and go. The song is a whaling song, and the _Wellerman_ might be a supply ship. As I've seen on other videos, "tonguing" might be the slaughter of caught whales, and that takes a lot of work from a lot of people. But the crewmen know that their contract is finished when that job is finished. And maybe the _Wellerman_ regularly supplies whaling ships. Something to look forward to.

  • @EphemeralTao

    @EphemeralTao

    Жыл бұрын

    _The Wellerman_ is a New Zealand sea ballad sung mainly by whaling ships from that region. The "Wellerman"" did indeed refer to a supply ship, specifically the ships of the Weller Brothers supply company out of New Zealand.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    @@EphemeralTao It's a song that was developed by New Zealand folk scene musicians in the late 1960s/early seventies. It is written to evoke ideas about history, rather than being a song of historical whalers.

  • @ginnyjollykidd

    @ginnyjollykidd

    Жыл бұрын

    How refreshing to know!

  • @asterismos5451

    @asterismos5451

    Жыл бұрын

    I heard this song was written about the system where people employed by particular companies were paid in credits for food and clothing and such that they could only spend in the company's overinflated stores. So the Wellerman in this case is the supply ship that they'd have to buy from and they're mad about this being the only option. This sort of payment was fairly common certainly in trades in the mid 1900s I think but I've no idea how common it was in the time of whaling. It sounds like it happened though. This wouldn't then be a pirate song at all but a working class whaler's song, protesting the injustice of their pay. It's also possible they were paid some monetary wage as well (discounted to account for the credits they were given), idk.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    @@asterismos5451 As I was saying above, it is primarily (if not wholly) a composition that was created by folk scene musicians in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Do you know what I mean by "folk scene"? Think those gal and guys of the Boomer generation who were in coffee shops etc. with their acoustic guitars, longing for simpler times while creating community. At the time in New Zealand, there were very few "traditional" (that's to say, older, historical) songs that felt definitely "New Zealand." A cohort of musicians at that time set upon trying to carve out a repertoire of "folk" songs that could feel like "New Zealand" songs, and to that end released an album and published song books to aid in the development of such a nationalistic Kiwi scene. "Wellerman" was one of those songs, created from reading books on NZ history and inserting a lot of references that would "feel" old. (Though to people familiar with the actual old songs of the nineteenth century, the writing doesn't feel old-we can tell it is out of step with the character of old songs.) You can hear the first recording of 'Wellerman" here, and you'll notice that the melody is completely different from what people are singing now. kzread.info/dash/bejne/k6V6r8-EiLLedZc.html That's because there was no melody, because no one actually heard this unknown song before! This musician made up a melody, then another made up a different melody and wrote the music in a publication later. The musician here, Tommy Wood, is on record recently saying that he found a *poem* in a book that was the basis for constructing the song, which he brought to Neil Colquhoun (chief architect of the NZ folk song movement) and they developed the song together. This is damning for Colquhoun, who in his song book of the 1970s claimed to have "collected" the song from a certain persona, like an old man in the countryside who remembered the song! In the early 2000s, the website for the New Zealand folk song society took it at face value that Colquhoun had "collected" the song from the mysterious traditional singer, and published a speculation of where that supposed person had learned it from and how old it must be-all with no evidence. As happens on the internet, that "information" was reproduced elsewhere on the internet and, when the TikTok Wellerman craze happened, all the news outlets, etc. just repeated that misinformation-from which place it reached your ears.

  • @patrickblanchette4337
    @patrickblanchette4337 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for explaining the backstory of a beloved musical tradition.

  • @CannonKnight
    @CannonKnight Жыл бұрын

    I'm actually shocked military cadence songs weren't mentioned as modern-day sea shanties. Which sounds more like a sea shanty: soldiers repeating the lyrics of the marching song of a drill sergeant or "Come and Get Your Love" from Redbone?

  • @DFX2KX

    @DFX2KX

    Жыл бұрын

    I suspect that was avoided in part for algorithmic reasons. That and those who are not in the military or know servicemembers wouldn't be able to relate to them. Pirates and their songs got a lot more media attention. For those passing by, who look up cadences: You'll notice slight pacing differences between nations which reflects different marching styles. And there will be broadly two 'speeds' one for marching, and 'double-time' which is a brisk jog without being a sprint. The music in the latter case ensures that you remember to actually breathe as well as distracting you from the pain. Even a very unfit individual can jog at this pace for several minutes continuously if they're motivated and/or distracted from the discomfort well enough. Someone like myself (who lost 150 pounds walking and jogging) can run like this for a over a mile handily. Someone who's in better shape than I can do this for 20 miles if they have to. A *lot* of 'workout'/dance type music does have a rhythm that lines up well with a proper brisk walk or double-time pace as well! Eye of the Tiger comes to mind, which is fitting.

  • @Zeyev
    @Zeyev Жыл бұрын

    Great episode. 1) I hope someone else has mentioned the pronunciation of the verb "chanter" - the "r" is silent and the final syllable is pronounced like the "a" in "page." 2) Speaking of the crossover between African-American and European-American chants - someone else has already noted what my father told me. When I was in the US Army we sometimes chanted while marching; in my father's day only the African-American troops did that. He was a bit surprised that the tradition had become mainstream.

  • @medealkemy

    @medealkemy

    Жыл бұрын

    The final syllable is more of an -ey sound with the least emphasis possible on the -y sound, or none at all. Smiling mouth, teeth closed to each other.

  • @Zeyev

    @Zeyev

    Жыл бұрын

    @@medealkemy Merci. Je l'avais simplifié.

  • @ahwhite1398
    @ahwhite1398 Жыл бұрын

    I don't claim to be a folklorist, but I do thing you missed a key cultural / situational bridge connecting those older work songs and the modern pop music examples - military marching cadences.

  • @maureenwagg5305
    @maureenwagg5305 Жыл бұрын

    Most shanties were sung on fishing and working (cargo etc.) ships to help the day go better. It was that era's Spotify or radio.

  • @SiqueScarface
    @SiqueScarface Жыл бұрын

    When I was a child (which is now many decades ago), my parents had a record with shanties and a narrator, who explained the story of the shanties. So I recognize many of the facts you were collecting for this video. There were examples of work songs on the record (One that also was named Haul the Bowline, but with another melody), of songs to sing along during free time (Rolling home), and also songs from slaves (Oh, the bully boat is coming).

  • @grizzthegreen4500
    @grizzthegreen4500 Жыл бұрын

    It makes sense... 🤔 kinda how the enslaved Africans would sing negro spirituals (antiphony) while being forced into slave labor. Or even chain gangs singing on the chain line, or even soldiers cadence.

  • @UrialTheDarkOne

    @UrialTheDarkOne

    Жыл бұрын

    And it all comes from very early Jewish liturgy

  • @mildsoup8978
    @mildsoup8978 Жыл бұрын

    90s music slaps whatever century

  • @mrs.g.9816
    @mrs.g.9816 Жыл бұрын

    I found this segment of "Rogue History" especially fascinating. Years ago, I bought an LP, "National Geographic's Songs and Sounds of the Sea", a great introduction to sea chanteys. I noticed the antiphony ("call and response") aspects of the work songs. Thanks for pointing out the African influence to this music!

  • @Dunkskins
    @Dunkskins Жыл бұрын

    Guess I'm definitely a Pirate from the beginning of the millennium. Love the videos as always Joel, keep em coming.

  • @Imperiused
    @Imperiused Жыл бұрын

    Insightful episode!

  • @markrushton5108
    @markrushton5108 Жыл бұрын

    I was a Track Maintenance guy on the Railway, in Sections and Gangs. We would often use Chants and Ditties to Time ourselves in Rythym. It was important to work together in time. It was the job of the Singer to lead. A Good Singer was invaluable.

  • @yamanuhem.netjer3165
    @yamanuhem.netjer3165 Жыл бұрын

    A lovely presentation, I might add there are similar practices among people working in situations of mining or hauling. The ancient Egyptians likely had some form of song or chanting to keep time, their decendants working as laborers to excavate areas from the sand or Rubble often utilize song and chant as well.

  • @acenoir9923
    @acenoir9923 Жыл бұрын

    I really do love all the pirate videos 🖤🏴‍☠️🖤

  • @smilodnfatalis55
    @smilodnfatalis55 Жыл бұрын

    Was not expecting DJ Kool to be referenced at the end but there he was 😂

  • @lincolndutcher4823
    @lincolndutcher4823 Жыл бұрын

    I enjoy this series even if the pronunciation of words like haulyard and bowline quite lubbarly

  • @ericreativecuts

    @ericreativecuts

    Жыл бұрын

    Also chanter is pronounced shawntay not chanterre

  • @LeBasfondMusic
    @LeBasfondMusic Жыл бұрын

    Pirates kidnapping musicians to act as entertainment was not the twist I was expecting 😂🤣

  • @Maybachdemon

    @Maybachdemon

    Жыл бұрын

    puts a whole new twist on "pirating music"

  • @cadillacdeville5828
    @cadillacdeville5828 Жыл бұрын

    Thank-you as always

  • @murkyseb
    @murkyseb Жыл бұрын

    That was really interesting, great work

  • @widmawod
    @widmawod Жыл бұрын

    3:37 It's amazing how much this resembles Irish Sean-Nós singing

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    Well, the singer was Irish and sang Irish music, and it's not a sea chanty example, so... Irish person singing a ballad, with no rhythm, will sound like sean-nós :)

  • @FranzBiscuit

    @FranzBiscuit

    Жыл бұрын

    Naturally, all of this music is primarily based on Britonic/Gaelic traditions.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    @@FranzBiscuit What do you mean by "all this music"? All *what* music? 19th century sailors adored polka and other accordion music -Germanic/Czech stuff, for instance. By the 1840s, American minstrel music (the kind performed in blackface) was probably the most popular music amongst sailors (as it was among the working class all over the place). As I mentioned, the song noted in the foregoing comment is an English *ballad* which is a particular genre of song (i.e. among many). Shanties are quite another genre of music, based in African-American tradition.

  • @jayrey5390
    @jayrey5390 Жыл бұрын

    Great, thank you for a great video! And a lovely little fiddle to see us off

  • @somecuriosities
    @somecuriosities Жыл бұрын

    Yarr! This be a mighty interesting video!

  • @thistle9080
    @thistle9080 Жыл бұрын

    I love this! Keep them coming! Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of Rum!!

  • @tmtigerlily
    @tmtigerlily Жыл бұрын

    This was so enjoyable, thank you.

  • @KC-gy5xw
    @KC-gy5xw Жыл бұрын

    I know that my (Jamaican) father told me about the 'sankies' they sang when cutting cane, "Hill and gully ride-oh, HILL and gully" - I'm sure there are many more. So those songs lasted until the early-mid 20th century, he was used to them and they followed the carribean workers who went to USA in the 50's following the crops around.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    Hill and gully, Massa Ram Goat, ... those are work songs, especially for digging... "Sankies" are hymns -- The hymn-book was written by Mr. Sankey.

  • @mrmoshpotato
    @mrmoshpotato Жыл бұрын

    Yo ho ho, and a bottle of YARRRRR!!!!!!!

  • @insulaarachnid
    @insulaarachnid Жыл бұрын

    This was really interesting, thank you.

  • @George_Washington185
    @George_Washington1858 ай бұрын

    Dude thank you so much for the knowledge an insightful explanation I truly appreciate this topic. My four fathers were ship merchants from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 an settled in Belize 🇧🇿

  • @ebybeehoney
    @ebybeehoney Жыл бұрын

    Awww man. He definitely called me a pirate at the end. Should I be wearing an eye patch and peg leg? Where's my parrot?🦜

  • @CGraceWhiting
    @CGraceWhiting Жыл бұрын

    This was a fabulous video 🎉

  • @blufaerie
    @blufaerie Жыл бұрын

    I loved everything about this video! Very informative. And I used Napster 😏

  • @Ulthar_Cat
    @Ulthar_Cat Жыл бұрын

    Arr! Avast ye scurvy curs! XD 💜

  • @TheStandardBearer
    @TheStandardBearer Жыл бұрын

    Excellent educational video, thank you. Also, The Straw Hats love singing Bink's Sake.

  • @sarahwatts7152
    @sarahwatts7152 Жыл бұрын

    oooo now I have fun music in my head!

  • @glitchlife4639
    @glitchlife4639 Жыл бұрын

    Right, you are awesome. Thank you@!

  • @yseson_
    @yseson_ Жыл бұрын

    So Sea Shanty’s we’re basically coding and algorithms to make make human labor more efficient. Makes sense music was often used to organize military actions throughout human history

  • @suddenwall
    @suddenwall Жыл бұрын

    The host looks like the kinda guy who is always thinking about 5 things at once and if you ask for his opinion on something he goes quiet for a beat, and says "It's complicated"

  • @evmarekaj
    @evmarekaj Жыл бұрын

    Didn't know PBS still existed

  • @claudiagreen9277
    @claudiagreen9277 Жыл бұрын

    if you use an image under cc by-sa, you have to do more than give credit - you have to license the work you produce with it under the same or a compatible license.

  • @cruzvandewark
    @cruzvandewark Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating stuff.

  • @AuntieDawnsKitchen
    @AuntieDawnsKitchen Жыл бұрын

    Sea shanties were favorites at Ren Faire, where historical accuracy matters naught but fun much

  • @UrialTheDarkOne

    @UrialTheDarkOne

    Жыл бұрын

    We are also fans of the shanty in the SCA where historical accuracy is paramount... we just sing the songs that actually came from the 15/1600's

  • @blinkcyclone5162
    @blinkcyclone516225 күн бұрын

    Really enjoyed this .. very informative.. thank you..

  • @bawintermage8351
    @bawintermage8351 Жыл бұрын

    Best History Teacher Ever!

  • @prokesuk
    @prokesuk Жыл бұрын

    Renaldo And The Loaf do a wonderful version of Haul On The Bowline.

  • @Kingpingblingbling
    @Kingpingblingbling9 ай бұрын

    Do a video on the history of the volga boatmen song

  • @marieroberts5458
    @marieroberts5458 Жыл бұрын

    A comment to this excellent video. Please look at the you tube vid regarding the songs sung by the rail workers who fix the rails and replace the ties. Same thing as the shanty songs, as the work must be coordinated and timed. And again, the same reason and the same people as the railroad workers were usually black, white ethnic minorities and Chinese and seem to still be predominantly black today.

  • @1989Azrael
    @1989Azrael Жыл бұрын

    For anybody interested, bands like "The Irish Rovers" or "The Jolly Rogers" also have quite some original shanties in their albums.

  • @mecahhannah
    @mecahhannah Жыл бұрын

    Awesome

  • @johnchristopherrobert1839
    @johnchristopherrobert1839 Жыл бұрын

    Good content

  • @allpurposeamber
    @allpurposeamber Жыл бұрын

    Can Joel Cook host everything plz?!? Their cadence and tone 💜

  • @jenluvjake
    @jenluvjake Жыл бұрын

    That was fascinating. I never thought before about how black work songs as he sea shantys are so similar.

  • @MassachusettsTrainVideos1136
    @MassachusettsTrainVideos1136 Жыл бұрын

    Cool video

  • @pudermcgavin4462
    @pudermcgavin4462 Жыл бұрын

    I have the book and it's old and worn!

  • @marthaevans8270
    @marthaevans8270 Жыл бұрын

    See the Penguin Folk Song book for The Basket of Eggs!

  • @ferretyluv
    @ferretyluv Жыл бұрын

    I don’t think “call and response” is unique to Africa. It’s basic music found all over the world.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    No one said it was unique to Africa.

  • @ferretyluv

    @ferretyluv

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hultonclint He did, as if the only way shanties have a call and response system would be because they got it from Africans. Antiphony is part of Catholic services.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ferretyluv No, he said "The musical call and response form found in both shanties and African work songs is called antiphony." That is not saying call and response is unique to Africa. Your additional comment of "as if the only way..." is something you're projecting. What it is saying is that the shanty genre is part of an Africa-based (African American) lineage of work singing. That comes from the research sources that the writer used in the creation of this presentation. Now, that lineage may include 1000 different data points of comparison to confirm the lineage. However, neither did they have the time to discuss all of the data points, nor did they think their audience would be able to understand all of them and nor, honestly, did the writer understand all of them himself. So, they chose to present just one salient data point that would have impact. Think of it this way: You see the presenter in the video. Do you suppose he has African ancestry? Yes, I think you do. Why? You respond with salient characteristics: "His skin is of a darker color" or maybe, "His hair is rather curly." Should I respond to that and say, "Ah, well, darker skin doesn't make his ancestry African, because people in southern India also tend to have dark skin" etc? That would be true, but it would be silly to say. Silly, because it's obviously not *only* darker skin that is telling you he has African ancestry. There are 1000 characteristics that allow you to reasonably surmise, based on your experience with looking at people in the world, that his ancestry is African. In the case of shanties, if you were to gain that level of familiarity with the sound of both chanties and (other) Africa-based songs, and study up on their history, the connection would be equally obvious. It is only through lack of deep familiarity that you are not seeing the connection and fixating on the one trait, e.g. "call and response" or "darker skin." In sum, the writer of the video (who is not the speaker in the video) is saying: "I did some light research on this topic in which I consulted some books and scholars. This is my attempt to convey what I learned from those sources. The expert sources told me that shanties have African American heritage. I, not being the scholar myself, cannot fully understand and represent everything in those sources, but here's one point from those sources that I did understand, which is that call and response structure is one of the accessible points of comparison, among many, that I can effectively present." We have to read between the lines when we see complex historical subjects presented in short form for popular consumption. There *are* some errors in this video, but this is not one of them. If you'd like to go more deep into the details of this subject, you can see my book _Boxing the Compass_: www.amazon.com/Boxing-Compass-Discourse-Chanties-Occasional/dp/1935243810/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BF9C6AWSPL3R&keywords=gibb+schreffler&qid=1674253806&sprefix=gibb+schreff%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1 Or check out video presentations on YT here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/i6aXzaWaeNHYqbA.html And here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/h4igrZuJfczNY84.html I think you'll see how those presentations of scholarship, however, are "too long" for popular audiences, hence the attempt made here by PBS to do something that would catch that audience.

  • @Fezezen
    @Fezezen20 күн бұрын

    I recognize every song exactly that was taken from APM in this video.

  • @jakedee4117
    @jakedee4117 Жыл бұрын

    These are all good points, synchronize the workers movements, train all the men in the language and the work. But I don't see why this should be an original African invention. Work songs exist in many cultures for many jobs, sailors pulling oars, women pounding corn and shearers shearing sheep. The call and response element of the antiphony is the foreman calling to the workers to get the work done right. Good rhythmic songs seem to be a natural part of the human experience. BTW here's a great old sea shanty, Roll the Old Chariot; kzread.info/dash/bejne/Zm16udJwh6-_e9o.html

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    Because there are specifics of musical form and history that weren't discussed here (they are rather technical and too lengthy for a "pop" presentation). Same way that we understand Jazz, R&B, Blues, Rock 'n' Roll to have African American heritage. We don't say "oh yeah, they have rhythmic syncopation, and so does music in India, so maybe these genres are Indian." It's a specific genre of music from a specific place and time, and as such the finer musical details associated it with adjacent genres and the cultural background of its performers can be traced.

  • @marcelogoncalvesdocouto7288

    @marcelogoncalvesdocouto7288

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hultonclint Couldn't them be influenced by Gaelic music as well tho? I know that the scotish had songs that also used call and response models, like this one: kzread.info/dash/bejne/k6qAztuHo5a4f7Q.html Not that the African influence would be impossible, but influence from scottish and irish music shouldn't be discarded since many of the western pirates were from the British Isles.

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    @@marcelogoncalvesdocouto7288 What did I just say? I said there are specifics of musical form and history, that weren't discussed here, that make it clear the development comes from African Americans and African American forms. I'm not just wildly guessing, based on a single characteristic ("call and response"), to speculate that any Gaelic, Arab, Chinese, or BaAka Pygmy song with call and response therefore "could" be an influence. I'm telling you based on the actual details of the historical and musicological research. It's not African "influence" it's African American BASIS, and it is DOCUMENTED.

  • @metalsomemother3021
    @metalsomemother3021 Жыл бұрын

    Nice violin of the Wellerman Check out MALINDA and her version on KZread.

  • @vincentvega5686
    @vincentvega568611 ай бұрын

    I liked the Napster reference lol

  • @SwedishDrunkard5963
    @SwedishDrunkard5963 Жыл бұрын

    Intresting

  • @MrEricSir
    @MrEricSir Жыл бұрын

    Well, they certainly did in Assassin's Creed IV!

  • @vaiyaktikasolarbeam1906
    @vaiyaktikasolarbeam1906 Жыл бұрын

    lmao napster

  • @Caterfree10

    @Caterfree10

    Жыл бұрын

    How old I feel thinking of that site tbh. I can’t even think of it as the legit service it became, it’s so entrenched as a music piracy haven in my brain lol. Which is honestly kind of wild given Crunchyroll was similar for anime, but I have no issue thinking of them as a legit service instead of piracy. :Va

  • @pieterboelen2862
    @pieterboelen28626 ай бұрын

    Wellerman isn't a shanty. It's a ballad.

  • @mkirklions
    @mkirklions Жыл бұрын

    "does that make us all Pirates?" >Me about to fkn rage so hard "No" >Oh? Oh... Huh, a video that doesnt speak in hyperbole? "Napster" >EYYYY LAMO XD hahahahha actually nice work.

  • @deactivated148
    @deactivated148 Жыл бұрын

    please create more contrast between the host and the background, parts of him get lost.

  • @jeffhidalgo8457
    @jeffhidalgo8457 Жыл бұрын

    Ahoy maties! Well played! Oarrg!

  • @elcatrinc1996
    @elcatrinc1996 Жыл бұрын

    All in all is a great topic to discuss and investigate, but i cant help but wonder, how come we dont have shanties in another languages then? Almost all the ones that i had heard are in english, withg one exception being Pique la Baleine, which is in frech. We know that sailors and merchants traveled to the deep south of america, Vallipo Bay is a mistranslation of Valparaiso in Chile, and Santiano directly mentions Mexico, we also have Spanish Ladies and many others that refer to diferent parts of the world, so how come we haven't heard of sailors songs in Spanish?

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    There are sailor songs in Spanish etc., but they are not chanties. Chanties is a particular genre of song, like rock n roll or jazz are music genres. Someone later on can certainly create a jazz song in Spanish, but it's not a Spanish genre per se.

  • @ericreativecuts
    @ericreativecuts Жыл бұрын

    Important question for Canadians: is Barrett's Privateers a pirate song?

  • @averagejoey2000

    @averagejoey2000

    Жыл бұрын

    not Canadian but no on three counts. 1, a privateer resembles but is legally distinct from a pirate 2, Stan made it up. No such vessel sailed from that town on that day crewed by those guys, and that stuff did not happen to them. 3. Barrett's privateers is not a shanty, work songs have to have the same simple structure and tempo the whole time to facilitate hauling, which Barret's privateers is not. shanties are also usually Acapella or just one instrument and a bunch of guys. it's a great song I love it it's a bop but it's not a pirate shanty

  • @35mm21
    @35mm21 Жыл бұрын

    Any shanties they did sing were inherently sea shanties, because they were at sea. :)

  • @WhiteBloggerBlackSpecs
    @WhiteBloggerBlackSpecs Жыл бұрын

    I'm guessing that was the shanty Quint sang to say adieu to Spanish maidens in Jaws

  • @358itachi
    @358itachi Жыл бұрын

    Only pirates song I have liked in modern times is 'Bink's sake'. That is one great song.

  • @Jaszi007
    @Jaszi007 Жыл бұрын

    BeeMP3 was my friend’s site of choice

  • @byronofrothdale
    @byronofrothdale5 күн бұрын

    After watching this mini documentary... Can we consider The Banana Boat Song a sea shanty? 🤔🤔🤔

  • @maunz5791
    @maunz5791 Жыл бұрын

    Crazy hair, crazily interesting video - that's a like! 👍😉

  • @druidsongevergreens
    @druidsongevergreens21 күн бұрын

    Lomax and the collectors for the Library of Congress changed the world

  • @Crowned_ladyd
    @Crowned_ladyd Жыл бұрын

    Napster 🤣

  • @MaxShaffer
    @MaxShaffer Жыл бұрын

    Just FYI... Chanter in French is pronounced 'chan-tay'.

  • @medealkemy

    @medealkemy

    Жыл бұрын

    Chan-tey is more accurate. Without the -y if possible.

  • @ctomfaith
    @ctomfaith Жыл бұрын

    The One Piece rap is the greatest sea shanty of all time.

  • @jinchoung
    @jinchoung Жыл бұрын

    oh definitely. you have to have the ol' sea shanties... "brandy, you're a fine girl what a good wife, you would be, but my life, my love and my lady, is the sea... doo doo do doo do doo do doo do doo doo"

  • @velazquezarmouries
    @velazquezarmouries Жыл бұрын

    Also sea shanties aren't only a western phenomenon The Japanese song soran bushi can be considered a sea shanty

  • @hultonclint

    @hultonclint

    Жыл бұрын

    Why is that considered a shanty?

  • @velazquezarmouries

    @velazquezarmouries

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hultonclint it's an old Japanese fishermen song Wich is essentially what we call in the west a pull song

  • @philsophkenny
    @philsophkenny Жыл бұрын

    😍

  • @jackyoh971
    @jackyoh971 Жыл бұрын

    he ho my fellow Pirate ! 😉

  • @robertfarrow5853
    @robertfarrow5853 Жыл бұрын

    Sailors sang in rythmn to hoist on ropes to raise sails, keep the beat. .

  • @jaytea4093
    @jaytea4093 Жыл бұрын

    So basically, the spirit of gangster rap is many centuries older than the genre itself

  • @dementiasorrow
    @dementiasorrow Жыл бұрын

    One day, when the tonguing is done We'll take our leave and go Thats life for ya!

  • @Historian212
    @Historian212 Жыл бұрын

    "Chanter" in French would be pronounced "shan-TAY," not "shan-TAIR." The final "r" isn't pronounced.

  • @Readera
    @Readera Жыл бұрын

    👍👍🖤🖤