Other Hauling Shanty

What kind of hauling shanties exists?

Stan Hugill gives us an explanation of the types of shanties. So he gives us two main types of shanties, hauling and heaving shanties, in this page, we talk about Hauling Shanties.

Here are the types of Hauling Shanty

(A) – Halyard or ‘long drag’ songs (for tops’ls and t’gallants).

Because of the number of Halyard shanties, I kept them on another page: Halyard Shanty

(B) – Short haul or ‘short drag’ songs (for t’gallants and royals).

Interesting Facts about the short drag songs

The short haul or short drag shanties was used to raise two top yards on the mast, top gallants, and royal sails because those yards were much smaller and lighter, therefore sails were smaller as well, and the tempo needed to be adjusted for this job. Naturally, pulls were shorter and faster than on halyard shanties used for topsails. It is worth noting that some of the halyard shanties also was used for top gallants and royals, so some of those songs can be used for both works.

Topgallant sails in pink - source wikipedia
TRoyal sails in pink - source wikipedia

In the pictures above, we see highlighted colors: on the left lower and upper topgallant sails, and on the right royals.

Index Of The short Drag Shanty

  1. Cant Ye Hilo? (short drag)
  2. Young Girls, Cant You Hilo?
  3. Gimme De Banjo – Doerflinger (short drag)
  4. Gimme De Banjo – Harding (short drag)

(C) – Sweating-up, fore-sheet, or bowline shanties (for boarding tacks and sheets, etc.).

Interesting Facts about the Sweating up, fore-sheet or bowline shanties

‘sweating up’, i.e. to give a final drag on a halyard to gain the last inch, at tacks and sheets. Also when a ship sailed for some time, the halyards and tacks worked with the wind, and because the wind works the lines get loose itself for example tightening knots, so this inch or two on halyards or tacks can save hours or days because the ship can sail more towards the wind.

Index Of the Sweating up, fore-sheet or bowline shanties

  1. Johnny Bawker
  2. Haul Away Joe A
  3. Haul Away Joe B
  4. Haul Away Joe C
  5. Haul On The Bow-Line – Sharp
  6. Haul The Bowline A
  7. O Mary Come Down!

(D) – Bunt shanty (for stowing a sail on the yard).

Interesting Facts about the Bunt songs

These songs are dedicated to one and only one job, namely: that of getting the mass of sodden, bellying canvas rolled up to the yard, also called “Tossing the bunt”.

Index Of the bunt shanties

  1. Paddy Doyles Boots A
  2. Paddy Doyles Boots B
  3. Paddy Doyles Boots C

(E) – Hand-over-hand songs (for jibs, stays’ls, and braces).

(F) – Walkaway or stamp-‘n’-go songs (braces, etc)

Interesting Facts about the Walkaway or stamp-‘n’-go songs

Also called stamp-n-go or walkaway or runaway shanty, was the only type of work song allowed in the Royal Navy. It was popular in ships with big crews when at halyards; the crowd would seize the fall and stamp the sail up. Sometimes when hauling a heavy boat up the falls would be ‘married’, and both were hauled on at the same time as the hands stamped away signing a rousing tune. Stan Hugill’s explanation from page 26 of the first edition of the “Shanties From The Seven Seas”, says it was used at braces, etc.

Index Of The Stamp-n-go Shanty

  1. Donkey Riding
  2. Drunken Sailor (A)
  3. Drunken Sailor (B)
  4. John Dameray (Silsbee)
  5. John Dameray (Harding)
  6. Johnny Come-A-Long
  7. Rise Me Up From Down Below
  8. Rise Me Up From Down Below – Doerflinger
  9. Roll The Old Chariot

(G) – Catting the anchor shanty

The operation of the raising anchor on the deck of the ship was a very complicated process, and not only one type of shanty was sung to synchronize work. The first stage was to put the ship in position when the anchor was up-and-down means the anchor was vertically positioned to the board, for this job sailors used capstan and sang beautiful anchor capstan shanties. After this stage eventually, the anchor has to be raised up on the board just above the horizontal piece of the yard in this stage were no shanties or only sign-outs, after this when the anchor was just above the water line happened “Catting the anchor”. Cutting an anchor is the job that happened when the anchor was about the water line beside the board, so sailors connected a line (tackle blocks) between the ring on the head of the anchor and the cat head, and catting started when they start pulling the rope, and at the same time loose bit the anchor chain used for raise anchor up to the board.

Index Of Catting the anchor shanty

  1. Cheerily Man – Catting the anchor shanty

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.