Sea Shanty Facts, History and Meanings - Royal Museums Greenwich The term 'sea shanty' itself first emerged in the 1800s One often proposed origin is that it came from the French word 'chanter', meaning to sing Others have linked it to the English word 'chant', or even made connections with other work songs: North American lumberman songs for instance often began with the line, 'Come all ye brave shanty-boys'
Sea Shanty Festival 2025 at Cutty Sark - Royal Museums Greenwich Cutty Sark's Sea Shanty Festival is back! Come and enjoy traditional maritime music in celebration of the tea clipper's 156th birthday The event will feature the vocal talents of bands and artists from across the UK and beyond Get ready for a day of fun and festivity Stay tuned, more details to be announced!
Sea shanty singers - Royal Museums Greenwich About our sea shanty singers The HogEye Men With almost 20 years of experience as a group singing shanties and maritime songs to audiences around the country, including a monthly residency on Cutty Sark since 2019, The HogEye Men are respected as London's primary exponents of these unaccompanied working songs from a past age
Cutty Sark - Royal Museums Greenwich From sailor songs to TikTok sensations, find out more about the history of the sea shanty, and discover the meanings behind 'The Wellerman' and other famous examples Search our stories Search our digital collections, discover epic stories of sea, space and exploration, and get expert insight from our museum curators and specialists
Live Sea Shanty Performances | Online Events - Royal Museums Greenwich Sea shanty special Tuesday 6 April - show starts at 7pm Book now A mixture of live and video performances sprinkled with a hearty discussion on all things sea shanty We look at some of the history associated with sea shanties, dissecting lyrics to explore their meanings, plus finding out how they are adapted to give them a contemporary
Sign-along Sea Shanty - Royal Museums Greenwich The Rio Grande shanty, which you can learn key signs for here, is a nineteenth century shanty that was sung by British and American sailors Follow along with Noel and learn to key word sign this sea shanty at home! Each video will teach you the chorus or one of the verses
Nautical terms and everyday phrases | National Maritime Museum From sailor songs to TikTok sensations, find out more about the history of the sea shanty, and discover the meanings behind 'The Wellerman' and other famous examples Crossing the line Time at sea is by its very nature isolating, and even on a very short voyage a strong sense of community, albeit a temporary one, is often created
What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?: The Role of Temperance . . . The well-known nineteenth-century sea shanty ‘What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?’ reveals the common perception of seamen in British popular culture during this time The Jolly Jack Tar had long been caricatured as a drinker, often portrayed as being ‘three sheets to the wind’ (i e drunk)
World Knot Tying Day - Royal Museums Greenwich Sea Shanty Festival 2025 Visit Cutty Sark for a fantastic day of sea song performances and workshops in celebration of the tea clipper's 156th birthday Saturday 22 November 2025 | 10am - 4 30pm