Since at least one other person here likes sea songs, let's share some of our favorites. I have to admit that pretty much all of my sea songs come from the Irish Rovers. I recently realized that this is something I wouldn't tolerate in any other genre, and I've set out to rectify it, starting with my acquisition of Roger McGuinn's CCD.
Nobody's put my favorite song from that album on YouTube yet, so in the meantime here's two of my favorite songs from my favorite Irish Rovers album: Tall Ships and Salty Dogs. The first is a drinking song, the second a shanty. I'm not sure if either of them are traditional, but they're both awesome. The entire album is awesome.
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David Wong wrote:7. "But this is the last non-terrible forum on the internet! The rest are full of trolls and Nazis!"
I'm not sure if this is technically considered a shanty, but I first heard it on a boat as a shanty. Singing this song in Yosemite Valley was one of the last experiences I had with my high school band director.
Also, I'm surprised no one has posted this one yet.
One more, one of the best sea shanties, is actually a piece of a movement in a Gustav Holst Suite. The whole thing is worth listening to, but the sea shanty kicks in 1:49.
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I've got a tumblr where I write about stuff, some of which is also on this site. I've also got a few videos you might wanna check out.
I sang a They Might Be Giants song at a karaoke bar once (don't ask). A guy came up to me and said he really liked that song, and wanted to know if they rest of their catalogue was like that. "Well, not exactly," I said. "They're kind of all over the place. Everything from indie rock to sea shanty."
He looked visibly disappointed when I said "sea shanty".
The Dreadnoughts do a nice line in sea shanties. Think I've posted it before but Boneyard has to be my favourite.
Also very fond of Henry Newbolt's Drakes Drum, although I had a hell of a time finding a decent version of it online.
And some other favourites:
The Bonny Ship the Diamond
The Holy Ground
Not sure if it really counts as a sea shanty, but All for Me Grog. I used to sing it back when I was a poor student who couldn't afford a decent set of boots.
And another more modern one, but Salty Dog by Flogging Molly
Edit: I can't believe I forgot this...
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You say "New World Order" "communist echo chamber" like it's a bad thing.
I rather like Spanish Ladies - which Logan already posted, but his was a version I've never heard before, in that the singer and his shipmates have received orders to sail to Boston, not England. It also only had the first verse.
This is the traditional version, more or less, and the whole thing:
(If large portions of that sound like gibberish, some of it's nautical terms, and the rest is landmarks you might sight when sailing up the English Channel.)
I'm curious if the American version goes beyond the first verse, and if so how it goes.
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A Combustible Lemon wrote:Death is an archaic concept for simpleminded commonfolk, not Victorian scientist whales.
I've had "South Australia" on my mind for awhile. Oddly, there's a punk version of the song.
Also, a bluegrass version of "The Golden Vanity"
I love bluegrass, yet I still like the traditional version better.
How about "The Handsome Cabin Boy"?
it seems like being a cabin boy would have really sucked back in the day. But then again the nautical life was never an easy one.
@Carrie: I've only heard the English Channel version in the US. I'm not sure what the Boston version is. It's like "The Leaving of Limerick." Not sure what the origin of that song is either, both even most Irish groups prefer "Leaving of Liverpool"
Oh, and this is the most haunting version of "Spanish Ladies" I've ever heard.
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David Wong wrote:7. "But this is the last non-terrible forum on the internet! The rest are full of trolls and Nazis!"