The aim of this page is to introduce you to the types of shanties and the traditions in which they were used.
To assist in understanding some of the basic terminology within the context of the shanties the following terms may assist.
Tack - The ropes or lines attached to the lower corners of the sails.
Sheet - The sails or more properly, the lines used to control the sail.
Yard - A spar on a mast which the sails are set.
Brace - a rope or line used to rotate a yard around the mast, to allow the ship to sail at different angles to the wind.
Further terminology may be added in the future to assist with the context of songs.
The shanties can be grouped into 3 types; Short Haul Shanties, for tasks requiring quick pulls over a relatively short time; Halyard Shanties, for heavier work requiring more set-up time between pulls; and Capstan Shanties, for long, repetitive tasks requiring a sustained rhythm, but not involving working the lines.
Windlass Shanty
A windlass shanty was a working song sung by sailors in the 19th Century. This particular shanty was associated with raising and lowering the anchor and other repetitive task. The shantyman in earlier times would sit on one of the uprights of the windlass but in later years, when the crews became smaller, he had to take part in the heaving. However when he went through the motions of heaving - "riding the bars", it was called he didn't work too hard, saving most of his wind for the shanty. The types of shanty song was a 'four-liner': two lines solos and two lines of refrain. As a hauling song, movement would be carried out on certain words. In the case of the windlass songs, however this movement was done in both the solos and refrains.
Capstan Shanty
The capstan is similar to the windlass except that it has an upright barrel. This rotates around a vertical spindle and is turned by a levers. It was mainly used for hauling in heavy ropes or in unison what the anchor cable. The base of any capstan, wood or metal, were fitted with pawls, so provide against 'walking back'. They could be turned about their pins so as to act in either direction. Ships in big swells in ports, such as those of the West Coast of South America, have been known to have their capstans strip the pawls and walk back, often maiming or killing the heavers. The older hands realising that they hadn't so far to walk if they grabbed positions on the bars near to the capstan head, were usually the ones killed; the younger men, those whose places by tradition were on the outer ends of the bars, were often thrown clean. It was around this type of capstan that the shanty was sung. The songs sung were of a rotary kind as the jerky type ones were unsuitable.
Capstan Shanty - Other forms of heaving
The capstan was also used for other tasks. Movement of the sails by pulling on the ropes called 'sheets' and 'tacks'. Capstans were also used for the working of the ships cargo, particularly in timber carrying ships. In the days before steam winches, the main deck capstans were much in evidence when warping the ship through locks and into the docks or when mooring alongside the wharves of the ports of the world.
Halyard Shanty
A halyard or long haul shanty is used to coordinate hauling. Most often it was used to set sails. A rope is stretched out along the deck and the crew takes their place along the line. It resembles the game of 'tug-of-war'. The shantyman takes his place at the front of the line where the line leads to the deck from the aloft. The shantyman sings the verses and the crew sings the chorus or refrain. Two pulls on the line occur during the refrain. All hands, including the shantyman, haul.
Pump Shanty
Pumping in the days of wooden sailing ships, was a continuous chore. Even in the composite and later iron wind jammers, a certain time of this miserable task has to be endured. The pumps were usually situated by the rails of the main or mizzen masts. The brake pump worked in the same fashion as the windlass. Hours would be spent pushing up and down, the rocker bars or the brakes, very often watch and watch and day in day out. In the second half of the 19th century, a new type of pump was installed onboard ships; this was the Downton pump. It had two large flywheels with short handles, allowing no more than two or three men on each. To increase the number of men able to turn the flywheels a cord with a eye slice on one end was dropped over each handle thereby enabling more people to pull the cord to turn the flywheels in turn. The songs where were used to support these activities were called rotary songs, as opposed to the jerky brake songs used on the earlier pumps. Such songs as 'A-Rovin' which consisted of a capstan song with full choruses where used. Any song could be used at a pump, so long as it had a good rousing chorus.
Stamp and Go (Walkaway) Shanty
Another constant job of work aboard sailing ships was that of 'manning the braces'. In 'tacking' or going about (bringing the ships head through the wind) or its opposite number 'wearing', that is putting a ships stern through the wind, the braces were hauled on in order to swing the yards around. To allow all the yards on the masts to swing freely from side to side, the lower sails would be clewed (their sheets and tacks left slack). At a certain point the braces would exchange function and the vessels change tack. A good example of the type of song used to conduct this activity is Roll the Old Chariot.
Sheet and Bowline Shanty
The Sheet or Bowline Shanty is probably the oldest form of true shanty. Several of them still exist, and most of them were used - mainly on the fore and main sheets - when taking a final 'jag'. This concerted pull always came on the last word, which would be rarely sung or its note given full value, the men gasping forth a wild howl instead. Perhaps no more than an inch or two would be gained with this final drag, but his would make all the difference to the drawing power of the sail, especially when racing.
Bunt Shanty
On packets and clippers the process of furling certain sails were different to usual sails on four main mask ships. Sails on the packets and clippers were rolled on the yard with what was known as bunt stow. A yard was divided into yard-arms and quarters, and the centre was referred to as the bunt. . When it was stowed the sail was dragged up on to the yard at its bunt or centre. The men would climb out along the yard, the best sailors staying at the bunt, the younger hands posted to the yards arms where there was little canvas to stow. In bad weather when the sails needed shortening or 'reefing' then the best men would be sent to the yard-arm. The next job of bunting was to get the fold of the canvas furthest beneath them into their clutching hands and 'skin the rabbit'. At this point a man would start the shanty which would have a two line verse, on the final word of the last line all hands would roll the sail up onto the yard.
The Sing-Out
The earliest form of shanty was known as the sing-out. It was primitive and elementary in nature, in all probability imitating the sounds of wind, sea, creaking hulls and moaning rigging. Aboard a sailing ship of the nineteenth century, it was to be heard whenever any form of cordage was hauled upon. When hoisting stays'ls or jibs then the cry would have some true wording and some musical sense.
As well as these running sing-outs, there were also those used for 'sweating up'. This was a daily routine under sail and means getting an extra inch on halyard, sheet, tack or brace. A single man would keep half a turn of a rope, whilst two others would stretch their arms as high as they could, grasping the rope, and on a certain word in the chant let fall the full weight of their bodies downwards, finishing by giving each inch of rope gained to the man at the pin. They would shout as they drop.
The Cargo-working Song
In many Ports the ships were loaded and unloaded by gangs, however Ports on beaten tracks the crew with their own ships gear had to attend to these tasks. Chants and Shanties were sung during these activities. Jackstays, tackles and the capstan were the only mechanical aids used. Many ships had winches at the foot of the mainmast for use in working cargoes. The yard-arm runners worked the cargo to and from the quayside.
Forebitters
A Shanty is considered a working song, however the forebitter is a song sung on the forecastle or on shore when they are alone. They are sung for pleasure or fun. They could be considered personal/private and not really meant for the outside world.
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