27 Best Sea Shanty Songs

“Lowlands Away” by Nils Brown, Sean Dagher, and Clayton Kennedy

Song Year: 2014

Another shanty worked on for Assassin’s Creed 4, “Lowlands Away” is a somewhat haunting song about a sailor dreaming of the passing of his wife. When sailors might be away for years at sea, it’s all too easy for them to lose track of the people in their lives.

“The Cruel Wars” by The Dreadnoughts

Song Year: 2011

The Dreadnoughts are one of the more notable shanty-singing bands in modern times, and “The Cruel Wars” stands out as an unusual variation of the basic style. The song focuses on two parts of a story, starting with the ruin of a boy recruited as a soldier and moving on to a couple in Germany.

The overall theme of the lyrics is broadly anti-war, noting how the events of the song can happen to almost anyone called up to battles. This song also highlights the distinction between the shanties focused on soldiers and sailors, and those sung more often by pirates and privateers.

“Roll The Old Chariot” by Nathan Evans

Song Year: 2022

A more modern shanty than many others on this list, Nathan Evans’ song focuses on hanging on while at sea. This is a common element of oceanic travel, where journeys are planned out, and there’s no easy way to just go home regardless of your situation.

As a counterpoint for the focus in the chorus, though, Evans uses his verses to focus on things that sailors might want to do while holding on to their journey. Whether the trip is good or bad, taking time to relax can be important.

“Haul Away Joe” by Unknown

Song Year: 2018

This shanty is known to date back to at least 188, and it’s speculated to have started the rounds on British ships well before 1812. It’s also a practical shanty, used to coordinate timing and hauling a ship’s foresheet. The lyrics can be improvised as necessary, telling the crew to keep going until the sheet is tight enough.

While the original author is unknown, The Longest Johns performed a modern version of this tune and brought it back to public notice.

“Seaman’s Hymn” by A.L. Lloyd

Song Year: 1973

First written for a BBC radio program, “Seaman’s Hymn” is used today as a closing song for events, especially shanty jams where singers get together to perform and debut new works. It’s relatively short for a shanty but easy to sing in a group. It also features a simple rhyme structure in the second and fourth lines of every verse, making it easy to expand as necessary.

“Kittyman” by Trailer Park Boys

Song Year: 2021

Sea shanties have never been shy about borrowing music from other songs. While it’s debatable whether those shanties count as parodies, this riff on “Wellerman” clearly does.

Although not likely to be sung on a ship in serious situations, “Kittyman” demonstrates the flexibility of the shanty rhyming and storytelling structure. The entire genre values improvisation and creativity, so “Kittyman” is on this list to demonstrate what you can do with shanty music.

“Ring Ding (A Scotsman’s Story)” by Nathan Evans

Song Year: 2021

A fast-paced shanty, “Ring Ding” starts out sounding much like more of a love song and may take a little practice to sing in a group. However, its storytelling structure matches other shanties well, telling of a foolish young man and offering a warning to the listener.

The timing also works well onboard many ships, with a repeating refrain that can serve as an indicator to prepare and verbal cues to act just after.

“Santiana” by The Longest Johns

Song Year: 2018

Thought to date back to the 1850s, “Santiana” is a fictionalized account of Antonio de Santa Anna, a general in Mexico who fought against Zachary Taylor during the Mexican-American war. The popular lyrics of the song aren’t historically accurate, as they imply Mexican victories in battles that the US had won instead.

The overall structure is a call-and-response, with the crew alternating between two lyrics while their caller can improvise as many lyrics as necessary. “Santiana” is a frequently-modified song, but many old variations never got written down and are now lost.

“Spanish Ladies” by Unknown

Song Year: 2014

While the exact origin of “Spanish Ladies” is unknown, ships’ logs suggest it was first written around 1793-1796 and was forgotten until the 1840 novel Poor Jack popularized it again. Notably, that makes this easily one of the oldest songs on our list.

The lyrics tell of British soldiers ordered to return to England, leaving their Spanish spouses and children behind, and of their passing by specific landmarks. Although probably not a working song when originally written, it may have been used as a mnemonic device to help sailors measure and understand their progress across the English Channel.

“Hard On The Beach Oar” by Dillon Bustin

Song Year: 1998

An unusual inland shanty, Dillon Bustin wrote “Hard On The Beach Oar” by combining some music he heard on the White River with information from recent travel logs and novels. The song focuses on the Ohio River, which required heavy pulling for ships trying to get upriver at the time.

Although not originally sung by sailors, some likely took it up for their journeys.