The Northern Neck Chantey Singers perform a shanty at the Mystic Sea Music Festival. Pulling nets was a lot different before we got hydraulic motors to lift them. (via Metafilter)
There were different chanteys — or 'shanteys' as they were sometimes called — with different rhythms for the various tasks on board the ship, such as turning the capstan to raise the anchor, hauling on a line to raise the sails, hauling in the nets or the lobster pots or the trawl (when dredging for oysters), manning the pump to keep the bilges clear, etc., but the general gist was that they were all work songs designed to synchronize the men's efforts into a single cohesive working unit.
Once he got into his explanation about hauling the fish to the surface, how many of you immediately had the "Swim Down!" scene from "Finding Nemo" playing in your mind?
There were different chanteys — or 'shanteys' as they were sometimes called — with different rhythms for the various tasks on board the ship, such as turning the capstan to raise the anchor, hauling on a line to raise the sails, hauling in the nets or the lobster pots or the trawl (when dredging for oysters), manning the pump to keep the bilges clear, etc., but the general gist was that they were all work songs designed to synchronize the men's efforts into a single cohesive working unit.
ReplyDeleteOnce he got into his explanation about hauling the fish to the surface, how many of you immediately had the "Swim Down!" scene from "Finding Nemo" playing in your mind?
ReplyDelete