Shanties

Shanties

Shanties are traditional work songs sung by sailors to coordinate physical tasks aboard ship — the 18th century Royal Navy's answer to the team productivity app, except instead of Slack notifications you got a bearded man bellowing in your ear and a rope to pull. They provided rhythm for heaving the anchor, hauling lines, manning the capstan, or any other activity where seventeen men had to do the same thing at the same moment without crushing each other's fingers.

The structure is call-and-response: a lead singer known as the shantyman delivers the verse, and the crew responds in unison on the chorus — typically on the exact beat the rope needs pulling. The shantyman was traditionally chosen for his powerful voice, broad repertoire, and ability to make up obscene verses about the bosun on the spot. In our case, the shantyman is whoever has the loudest voice and the least shame after the second glass of rosé. 

Shanties also served the secondary purposes of boosting morale, complaining about the food in a way the captain couldn't punish you for, and providing the only acceptable form of group emotional expression permitted to a 19th century sailor.

Our Official Cruise Repertoire

1. Drunken Sailor
The opening number of any self-respecting cruise. A philosophical inquiry into appropriate disciplinary measures for an inebriated colleague, with suggestions ranging from the merely uncomfortable ("put him in the long boat 'til he's sober") to the frankly concerning. Easy to sing, impossible to forget, statistically guaranteed to be requested before sundown on day one.

2. Nelson's Blood / Roll the Old Chariot
Technically two songs, often confused, both excellent. Nelson's Blood refers to the legend that after Admiral Nelson was killed at Trafalgar, his body was preserved in a barrel of rum for the journey home — and that the sailors, being sailors, allegedly drank from the barrel anyway. Roll the Old Chariot operates on the more wholesome premise that "a nice cup of tea wouldn't do us any harm." Both can be extended indefinitely by inserting whatever the crew currently wants ("a long hot shower," "a working autopilot," "Bryce overboard," etc.).

3. Wellerman
The New Zealand whaling song that conquered TikTok in 2021 and has refused to leave the global consciousness since. Tells the tale of a ship awaiting the supply vessel (the Wellerman) bringing "sugar and tea and rum." Excellent for the foredeck, even better when someone mistakenly thinks they know the second verse.

4. Sailing — Rod Stewart
Not, strictly speaking, a shanty. Not, strictly speaking, traditional. Not, strictly speaking, good. But undeniably iconic, and at sunset on the third day, when someone starts the opening lines, you will sing along. Resistance is futile. Even Nelson would have caved.

5. Molly Malone
An Irish ballad about a Dublin fishmonger of questionable historical authenticity who sold cockles and mussels until she died of a fever. Cheerful stuff. Becomes mandatory the moment any crew member with even one Irish grandparent has a glass in hand.

Shantyman's Code of Conduct

The shantyman is selected by acclaim, not appointment. The shantyman does not announce themselves; the crew anoints them. Anyone declaring "I'll be the shantyman" is, by maritime tradition stretching back four centuries, immediately disqualified.