{"id":13568,"date":"2024-06-07T12:07:24","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T16:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=13568"},"modified":"2024-06-27T16:12:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T20:12:11","slug":"seashantyclub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/summer-2024\/seashantyclub\/","title":{"rendered":"Weigh Hey\u2013and Away We Go"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"\"<\/div>

\n\n

Weigh Hey\u2013and Away We Go!<\/h1>\n\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Sea Shanty Social Club performing at the Pub in Matunuck, R.I., in January. Left to right: Dave Hill, Jake Harrington, Denise Walsh, Chris Dodge, Flo Fields, Beth Mendenhall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Sea Shanty Social Club is built around camaraderie and a collective love of sea songs, sea stories, and the sea itself. Singing ability is optional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Marybeth Reilly-McGreen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Who is Johnny and why must he leave her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question, posted on the social media platform Reddit, continues: \u201cSomeone at school breakfast played the most depressing sea shanty I have ever heard. The song is called \u2018Leave Her, Johnny.\u2019 Who is the girl? Who is Johnny? Why must he leave her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More on the eponymous Johnny and his ghosting later. The greater mystery is how a bygone form of maritime music seized the world\u2019s imagination after a 100-year hiatus from public life. It is a comeback (almost) nobody saw coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"illustration<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sea shanties were sung by sailors for in-unison efforts like hauling a halyard (a rope that hoists a sail), depicted in this illustration from a story about sailors’ work songs published in 1900.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

First, a short history lesson: Prior to the advent of steam-powered ships in the late 19th century, sailors sang work songs, shanties, such as \u201cLeave Her, Johnny,\u201d when engaged in heaving (as in buoys, anchors) or hauling (sails)\u2014work requiring the timed, coordinated effort of a crew. Steam power largely eliminated the call for labor-intensive, coordinated human effort, and shanties were mostly consigned to maritime history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until 2021, that is, when COVID and its imposed isolation caused a surge in enthusiasm for sea shanties. It could\u2019ve been loneliness or showiness\u2014or any other of the myriad reasons people post to social media\u2014but whatever the motivation, professional and amateur singers flooded social media with shanties, with some amassing huge followings. In the 21st century, TikTok, Facebook, and Reddit have become the vessels on which sailors, shanty singers, and fans listen to and discuss the near-forgotten art form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"View<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Sea music displays a surprising adaptability, equally at home whether exploring the human condition or exploring issues like climate change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Other enthusiasts saw an opportunity to create community in the old school sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retired Coast Guard Capt. Dave Hill, M.M.A. \u201921, leads the Sea Shanty Social Club, a group of 溏心vlog免费B站 faculty, students, and community members who\u2019ve been singing together for three years now. Since the group\u2019s inception, its membership and popularity have grown. The Sea Shanty Social Club performs at a variety of local venues\u2014pubs, inns, restaurants, historical societies, and academic conferences. In 2022, the club performed at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s inaugural Sea Services Symposium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Performing at the Pub in Matunuck, R.I., in January. Left to right: Denise Walsh, Jena Panas, Grace Omer, Mandy Watson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHoly smokes, have we got talent!\u201d Hill booms. It\u2019s a Tuesday night and members of the club are gathered around the dining room table at Hill\u2019s Kingston, R.I., home for a rehearsal. The Sea Shanty Social Club is a multigenerational group with Hill in the role of elder statesman. Elizabeth Mendenhall, associate professor of marine affairs, is present, as are a number of graduate students, and a few undergraduates and community members. Hill, who seems to tilt toward expansiveness in all things, invited the entire marine affairs department to join by email back in 2021. The group started with five members; it has grown to 30, representing marine affairs, oceanography, and other corners of the campus and wider community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to this table, we\u2019re all friends here,\u201d says Hill, who, with his wife, Dorothy, routinely produces a generous spread for these gatherings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

A Sea Shanty Social Club practice at the home of Captain Dave Hill and Dorothy Hill in Kingston, R.I., in February. Left to right: J.P. Walsh, Dave Hill, Carolyn Caton, Jake Harrington, Beth Mendenhall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entering the scene is a bit like stepping out of time. The open design and dark wood of Hill\u2019s post-and-beam home give it the look and feel of a ship\u2019s hull. There\u2019s a ship\u2019s wheel in one corner that used to be attached to a freighter, which is now 2 miles deep in the Caribbean basin with about 5 tons of cocaine onboard, Hill says. Hill is the group\u2019s chief storyteller and master shanty man, leading the group in call-and-response songs. On a ship, such social capital might get you a larger share of rations or release from the least desirable jobs aboard the vessel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n\n
\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A Sea Shanty Social Club practice. Left to right: Dave Hill, Lee Singer, Hal Walker, Elliott Thompson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

Marine affairs graduate student Rafeed Hussain sits to Hill\u2019s right. Hussain was recruited to the group by friend and classmate Letty Cass \u201913, M.M.A. \u201923.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLetty told me we\u2019d never have to perform in front of people\u2014which was how she convinced me to hop aboard,\u201d Hussain says. He pauses and grins. \u201cThat may have been a little bit of a white lie, but I fell in love with it. A Sea Shanty Social Club practice at the home of Captain Dave Hill and Dorothy Hill in Kingston, R.I., in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGraduate school can be lonely,\u201d Hussain continues. \u201cBeing in the shanty group, having that commonality with classmates, just kind of makes this feel like a home away from home. It\u2019s a place of comfort and familiarity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Meet the Sea Shanty Social Club<\/h1><\/div>
\"\"\/<\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Hussain smiles at fellow marine affairs graduate students Grace Omer and Jena Panas, who nod in agreement. \u201cIt can be a hard transition academically and socially,\u201d Panas says. \u201cI was struggling with coming to grad school, thinking, like, \u2018Do I belong here? Am I going to find my people?\u2019 But I feel like the marine affairs department and this group have made 溏心vlog免费B站 feel like a home and a community. Coming to Captain Dave\u2019s is the highlight of my week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

In this modern moment, shanties have a singular malleability, equally suited to ship work and social media. With a change of tempo or tone, a ballad might be remade into a ditty. At once boisterous and sonorous, shanties lean heavily on rhythm, making them easy for singers to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were a few hard-and-fast rules back in the day, and they were meant to be taken seriously. Shanties weren\u2019t intended for the shore. And songs sung leaving port were different from those sung upon return. Also, no whistling would be tolerated. Sailors who did risked being accused of whistling up the devil; that is, inviting foul weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home, wives, whales, storms, skirmishes, and death were all familiar shanty themes. And shanties gave rise to spin-offs. Ashore, sailor choirs might sing praise songs for those lost at sea. Some scholars theorize that shanties performed a function similar to lullabies, soothing sailors\u2019 fears and anxieties. Shanty lyrics could be reworked to suit a certain culture or personalized to celebrate a local hero. Melodies might also be borrowed to serve new lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omer and Panas perform a particular, 21st century function for the club. Designed to be sung by men\u2014and most definitely in the absence of women\u2014shanties are often bawdy and sometimes outright misogynistic. Omer and Panas, together, function as on-the-spot editors, interjecting (shouting) phrasing such as \u201cwith her consent\u201d when lyrics touch upon interactions between sailors and captains\u2019 daughters, for example. \u201cWe switch it up, so it isn\u2019t so sexist,\u201d Panas says. \u201cThey\u2019re small-but-significant changes that make the songs our own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

\u201c<\/span>I\u2019m a bad singer, and I was a little intimidated at first. But when I came to the first practice, I realized this is about camaraderie, you know?<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Elizabeth Mendenhall, associate professor of marine affairs<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

If a shanty singer\u2019s vocal talent were ranked on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the zenith, Hussain says he would give himself a \u201c1\u2014for sure.\u201d But he says he feels no anxiety about this\u2014even when he and Mendenhall are given a verse to sing as a duet. Mendenhall also gives herself low marks on vocal stylings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a bad singer, and I was a little intimidated at first,\u201d Mendenhall says. \u201cBut when I came to the first practice, I realized this is about camaraderie, you know? Everybody at this table has been in one of my classes. We have work relationships. This allows us to interact in an entirely different forum, and I think we\u2019ve all enjoyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The social club also donates the proceeds of any engagement to local charities, so there\u2019s a philanthropic component, as well, Mendenhall adds. \u201cAnd it\u2019s fun to have that social engagement between 溏心vlog免费B站 and the community through these maritime songs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n\n
\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Left to right: Chris Dodge, Denise Walsh, J.P. Walsh, Dave Hill. Far right: J.P. Walsh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The origin story of the first shanties remains a mystery. Karen Dolby, author of Sea Shanties: The Lyrics and History of Sailor Songs<\/em>, contends that the earliest shanties date to the Middle Ages. Popular culture tends to situate shanties in British and European cultures, but some scholars say shanties are part of an older work song tradition from an entirely different part of the world: Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, media outlets all over the world have reported on sea shanties\u2019 popularity. Reasons given for the craze vary. Shanties are easily sung and, as mentioned, forgiving of less-than-pitch-perfect voices. Shanties\u2019 length makes for excellent short-form digital content. Shanties make great short stories. Tales of high adventure, lost love, and terror at sea are baked into the form. Some have posited that the imagined romance of the open sea was a necessary balm for COVID-induced cabin fever.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Spotify<\/div>

溏心vlog免费B站’s Sea Shanty Social Club Made You a Playlist<\/h2>

Go to 溏心vlog免费B站 Magazine’s <\/em>Spotify profile and open the Sea Shanty Social Club playlist \u2014 and away we go!<\/p><\/div><\/div>

Listen Now<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n

What is undisputed is that social media platforms such as TikTok have expanded sea shanties\u2019 fan base substantially, maybe exponentially. Master shanty men, such as David Coffin of Gloucester, Mass., lead shanty sing-alongs on Facebook Live and Zoom (Coffin\u2019s YouTube version of \u201cRoll the Old Chariot\u201d has more than 6 million views). In 2021, TikTok sea shanty singer Nathan Evans\u2019 rendition of \u201cWellerman\u201d garnered 9 million views and landed him a record deal with U.K.-based Polydor Records. Saturday Night Live<\/em>\u2019s sea shanty skit has 2.5 million views. Musicians such as Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Queen guitarist Brian May have put their particular spin on the form, performing sea shanties online, and singers have used TikTok\u2019s duet feature to harmonize with one another for a richer shanty-singing experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can buy sea shanty-inspired T-shirts, teacups, lyrics, and art. There are professional sea shanty singers, shanty societies, and festivals. The annual Falmouth (U.K.) International Sea Shanty Festival attracts more than 65,000 attendees a year and features more than 70 shanty groups. There\u2019s even a video game, Assassin\u2019s Creed IV: Black Flag, Sea Shanty Edition<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sea music is a subject of academic study, museum exhibitions, performance art, and podcasts, displaying a surprising adaptability, equally at home whether exploring classic themes, like the human condition, or contemporary issues, like the effects of climate change. In 2021, the University of Plymouth (U.K.) used \u201cWhat Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor\u201d as the score of a data visualization of climate change released at the time of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s a downside to 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Sea Shanty Social Club, it\u2019s that many of the members are graduate students whose tenure is, generally, two years, and then it\u2019s off to parts unknown for many. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the hard-sad-wonderful things: that people graduate and move on,\u201d Hussain says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that may just be the shanty master\u2019s master plan. Hill is an influencer\u2014just not the online kind. He prefers to build a following in person, one shanty singer at a time, especially singers destined to wield influence as industry leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n\n
\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n\n
\"\"\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n

Performing at the Pub in Matunuck, R.I., in January. Left to right: Dave Hill, Jena Panas, Grace Omer, Mandy Watson, J.P. Walsh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s definitely a selfish motive here, and that is influencing people,\u201d Hill says. \u201cInfluencing the future policymakers in the maritime world\u2014that\u2019s what I like to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hill adds, \u201cI view 溏心vlog免费B站 as the nation\u2019s maritime university\u2014a center of marine educational excellence. Sea shanties, sea songs, sea stories, and our collective love for the lore of the sea is a natural fit, given our many maritime-related degree programs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Back to Johnny and the question of why he left her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few answers from Reddit users: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[The] \u2018her\u2019 in this shanty generally is agreed to be the boat herself. At the end of a time on the boat, it\u2019s time to leave her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the bittersweet angle of closing a chapter on your life, reminders of all the bad things that are also strangely morphing into the good memories \u2026 kind of a reminiscence between two people who have spent a lot of hardship together but now it\u2019s time to move on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about being TRAPPED on a $@#! vessel with $@#! food and $@#! bosses because the captain won\u2019t pay you off at the end of your contract (this has since been addressed by the maritime labor movement, but this was rampant in the bad old days). I sing this to stay awake when I reach the midpoint of a job and hate my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, it\u2019s not easy to set aside personal experience when interpreting a sea shanty. Hussain reads the lyrics of \u201cLeave Her, Johnny\u201d aloud. His take: \u201cSounds like it\u2019s about leaving home. It seems like it\u2019s about a woman, but the way I would interpret it is \u2026\u201d he pauses for a moment then smiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s about leaving home and going on an adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ILLUSTRATION: W. SYMONS; PHOTOS: GIANGUZZI PHOTOGRAPHY\/GANSETT PHOTOGRAPHY; ISTOCK; NORA LEWIS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Sea Shanty Social Club is built around camaraderie and a collective love of sea songs, sea stories, and the sea itself. Singing ability is optional.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[336],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-summer-2024","architecture-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13568"}],"version-history":[{"count":131,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15041,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13568\/revisions\/15041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}