[Nz-folk] Sea Shanties

[Chris Brady]

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:00:58 +1300
From: "Roger White" <spear at ihug.co.nz>
Subject: [Nz-folk] 'Shipped it Green'.
To: <nz-folk at kiwifolk.com>
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Having a look at a few shanties lately.
A query on the interpretation of verse from 'Leave her Johnny'

'The wind was foul and the sea ran high 
she shipped it green and none went by'

I'm imagining the second line refers to waves that broke over the decks
 one after the other constantly, none being of a height to just pass
 by.

Any other offers?

Roger.

  ======================
   
  The words that you refer to are:
   
  'The wind was foul and the sea ran high 
she shipped it green and none went by'

  Having survived at least three force 11 gales in tall ships in the English Channel off Portland Bill (HM Bark Endeavour), in the Atlantic off Brest (Christian Radich), off the Azores (Sir Winston Churchill), and in many other lesser storms too numerous to mention - I would opine that sailing and working in those conditions is a tad arduous. Actually frightening, stressful, but also exhilarating.
   
  In all of those the 'wind was foul' - i.e. blowing so hard so as to make climbing aloft and handing sail difficult if not impossible.
   
  The 'sea[s] ran high' - i.e. with waves high enough to sweep the decks; they usually strung out nets aoround the deck to 'sieve' the sailors from the water on board to try and stop them from being washed overboard
   
  'She shipped it green' - the waves washed aboard deep and concentrated enough to appear 'green'
   
  'None went by' - it seemed as though EVERY wave washed aboard - that is no wave missed the ship.
   
  Such storms do not let up, the pressure is on every sailor on board to fight the storm, saving the ship is the no. 1 priority.
   
  In general what amazes me about many sea shanty singers is that they have rarely if ever actually sailed, and certainly rarely on a tall ship / windjammer. If they had I think that their singing &/or performances might not be as polished as for the stage. Shanties / chanties / whatever were mainly work songs, the main purpose of which was to pull ropes or do heavy manual labour in unison under extreme duress to get things done. They were not concert items to be peformed for an appreciative audience.
   
  Just my 2d worth. Have a nice day.
   
  CJB.  

       
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