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No matter the time period, a life at sea is no picnic and sailors would often find ways to break up the monotony and pain of long voyages. Sea shanties were common and while many songs carried a melancholy tune, there were others that had a far more hopeful outlook.
Fiddler’s Green is one such example. Described as an afterlife for sailors, Fiddler’s Green is a sea shanty that describes rebirth and endless possibilities.
Songs Of The Sea examines different sea shanties and the story behind the lyrics. From A Drop Of Nelson’s Blood to Rolling Down to Old Maui, rum features prominently in many sea shanties and another one that comes to mind is Can of Grog. A mixture of rum and water, grog was the lifeblood of the royal navy, served up until Black Tot Day.
Songs Of The Sea puts the spotlight on some of history’s most enduring sea shanties that are connected to rum. Many shanties had a mournful tone to them and depicted harsh conditions at sea, which is an attitude that Rolling Down to Old Maui reflects.
Continue reading “Songs Of The Sea: Rolling Down To Old Maui”
Songs Of The Sea highlights some of history’s famous shanties and drinking ditties. Rum has been a key theme throughout many songs, with All For Me Grog being a rum tune that has stood the test of time. Originally a folk song that has been reinterpreted by modern bands such as The Dubliners, All For Me Grog is a bittersweet shanty with a jaunty rhythm.
Sea shanties are musical snapshots in time. They convey a sense of what conditions were like for sailors during the heyday of piracy and many are still sung today to celebrate the history of ships and the navy.
Rum was a common theme in various shanties and it crops up a few times in Jolly Roving Tar. A sea shanty with a bittersweet tone, Jolly Roving Tar has multiple interpretations.
Songs Of The Sea shares the history of some of the most memorable sea shanties. Plenty of shanties featured boozing and roving, with A Drop Of Nelson’s Blood doing a great job of capturing the spirit of drunk and rowdy sailors. A slang term for rum, Nelson’s Blood warmed the hearts of many mariners during long sea journeys.
Continue reading “Songs Of The Sea: A Drop Of Nelson’s Blood”
Songs Of The Sea shines a light on obscure shanties that are connected to rum and other types of booze. Aboard a ship, there were many types of drinking songs and one of the catchiest was Whisky Johnny. The kind of song that made you want to knock back a dram, Whisky Johnny gave sailors something to hope for on long journeys at sea.
Songs Of The Sea is a segment that tells the origins of different sea shanties and what makes them so timeless. From pirate ditties, to melancholy choruses about the realities of ship life, the sea shanty has left an enduring mark on popular culture. In particular, Randy Dandy-O does an excellent job of describing the harsh conditions of life at sea.
With tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a jaunty rhythm, Randy Dandy-O is a classic sailor’s tune.
Songs Of The Sea is a segment that analyses the history of different sea shanties and how they communicated the feelings of the people who sung them. One of the most famous sea shanties is called Leave her Johnny, also known as Leave Her Bullies, Time For Us To Leave Her and Leave Her.
Mournful, poignant and haunting, Leave Her Johnny delivers a snapshot of the working conditions that sailors had to deal with when they were out at sea for months on end.
Sea shanties and songs have become synonymous with pirates, sailors and privateers, all looking to embrace the freedom of the ocean. Songs Of The Sea is a segment that analyses different shanties, where they came from and what they mean.
The Rum Ration is starting off with one of the most popular pirate ditties, ‘Dead Man’s Chest’ which might as well be the anthem of every swashbuckler who ever laced up their boots.
The Rum Ration 