Halyard Shanty

The halyard word in Halyard Shanty comes from a yard…

Stan Hugill in the BBC series about the seventies of the twentieth century explains to a great extent how the Halyard Shanty works. But the first important thing we need to know is, what yard it is? The yard is the horizontal bar, holding sail on square riggers. On one mast was placed even 6 yards!

Halyard Shanty mast with yards

About half of all yards were movable…

…means due to their huge weight, the yards of monstrous ships like the last windjammers, from German flying P-Liners have yards which weigh roughly around 400 kilograms! So when the wind was huge, and waves high, and also the ship runs without the cargo, the square-riggers were really in-stabile. To lower the center of gravity, it was necessary for some of the yards to lower them as much as possible.

Lower Yards Description
Lower Yards draw

When the wind was right, and all was good…

… when the ship was full of cargo, the time was gold, and every knot of speed was priceless, the sails goes up. All sails as possible have been set, to set all square sails was necessary to raise yards, and now we can come back to Stan Hugill, he says, the halyard is a word invented by combining two words “Haul” and “Yard” and we have “Halyard”.

another yard
Lifts in yard

When Shantyman sings line…

… keeping the line from the top usually with the second mate, he was singing line of the verse, this was waiting time for a job when the chorus starts on, all crew down bellow, through the patent block (usually 3-4 sailors), did a crazy pull on the rope, and an end, another pull of the rope in end, this happens twice, and this is the base construction on halyard shanty.

Haul the halyard rope

Haul the halyard rope 2

Index Of The Halyard Shanty

  1. A Long Time Ago (A)
  2. A Long Time Ago (B)
  3. A Long Time Ago – Cecil Sharp Version
  4. A Long Time Ago (D)
  5. A Long Time Ago (E)
  6. A Long Time Ago (F)
  7. A Long Time Ago (G)
  8. A Long Time Ago – Gordon Hitchcock version
  9. A Long Time Ago – Harding Barbadian melody version
  10. Ane Madam – Bergen Version (Norwegian)
  11. As-Tu-Connu Le Per’ Lanc’lot (French)
  12. Banks Of Sacramento – Patterson Halyard version
  13. Blow Boys Blow (A)
  14. Blow Boys Blow (B)
  15. Blow Boys Blow (C)
  16. Blow Boys Blow (odd verses)
  17. Blow Boys Blow (Norwegian)
  18. Blow The Man Down (A)
  19. Blow The Man Down (B1 – first method)
  20. Blow The Man Down (B2 – second method)
  21. Blow The Man Down (C)
  22. Blow The Man Down (D)
  23. Blow The Man Down (E)
  24. Blow The Man Down (F)
  25. Blow The Man Down (IV – Doerflinger)
  26. Blow The Man Down (V – Doerflinger)
  27. Blow The Man Down – Terry Version
  28. Bunch O Roses (tune version 1)
  29. Bunch O Roses (tune version 2)
  30. Cheerily Man – Halyard
  31. Cheerily Man – Sharp
  32. Clear The Track Let The Bulgine Run – Whall
  33. Coal Black Rose
  34. Come Down You Bunch Of Roses Come Down
  35. De Hoffnung (German)
  36. De Hoffnung – English Translation
  37. De Runer Von Hamborg (German)
  38. Do Let Me Lone Susan
  39. Eliza Lee
  40. Goodbye Fare-ye-well (Singurd Sternvall version)
  41. Goodbye My Love Goodbye
  42. Hanging Johnny
  43. Haul Away Boys Haul Away!
  44. Haul Away Old Fellow Away
  45. Haul Er Away! A
  46. Haul Er Away! B
  47. Heave Away Boys Heave Away A
  48. Heave Away Boys Heave Away B
  49. Hello Somebody
  50. High O Come Roll Me Over!
  51. Hilo Boys Hilo
  52. Hilo Come Down Below
  53. Hilo Johnny Brown
  54. Hourra Mes Boués Hourra! (French)
  55. Hurrah Sing Fare Ye Well
  56. John Kanaka
  57. Leave Her Johnny – Halyard
  58. Lowlands Low (Halyards)
  59. Lower The Boat Down
  60. Oh Blow Ye Winds I Like To Hear You
  61. Oh Köm un Beer for mi (German)
  62. Poor Old Reuben Ranzo
  63. Ranzo Ray A
  64. Ranzo Ray B
  65. Ranzo Ray C
  66. Reuben Ranzo II – Doerflinger
  67. Reuben Ranzo – Hugills version
  68. Reuben Ranzo – Patterson version
  69. Reuben Ranzo – Sternvall version
  70. Roll Boys Roll!
  71. Roll The Cotton Down (A)
  72. Roll The Cotton Down (B)
  73. Roll The Cotton Down (C) – Halyard Version
  74. Roll The Cotton Down (D)
  75. Roll The Cotton Down (E)
  76. Roll The Cotton Down (F)
  77. Run Let The Bulgine Run
  78. Sally Brown (B) – Robbins version
  79. Shallow Brown B
  80. Shallow Brown D
  81. Shallow Brown – Harry Perry
  82. Shanandar – Cecil Sharp version
  83. Shiloh Brown
  84. So Heave Away
  85. Stormalong Lads Stormy
  86. Tommys Gone To Hilo – Harlow
  87. Toms Gone Away
  88. Toms Gone To Hilo – Bill Dowling
  89. Toms Gone To Hilo – Terry
  90. Tommy’s On The Tops’l Yard
  91. Toms Gone To Hilo
  92. The Gal With The Blue Dress
  93. The Sailor Fireman (I’ll Fire Dis Trip)
  94. Up Up My Boys Up A Hill
  95. Walk him along Johnny
  96. Walk Me Along Johnny
  97. Walkalong My Rosie
  98. What is in the Pot A-boiling
  99. Where Am I To Go M’ Johnnies?
  100. Whisky Johnny A
  101. Whisky Johnny B
  102. Whisky Johnny C
  103. Whisky Johnny D
  104. Yankee John Stormalong

My private collection of books

Shantyman library –  you will see descriptions and recommendations of positions worth diving into, true sources of knowledge about sea shanties. To gain knowledge about sea shanties is the main ultimate purpose of this library, every book in this library is somehow related to sea shanties and before mast songs.

More involvement in Traditional Sea Shanties

You can find this record here or directly listen below. If you want to discuss the record or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here.