What does blow mean in sea shanties?
Because chanteys were work songs, the chanteyman used easy-to-sing phrases that exhorted the men to keep working. “Blow” did mean strike, and was generalized to mean other actions as well, such as pull or row.
Are sea shanties problematic?
Are sea shanties problematic? Overall, it seems that the answer is no. Sea shanties are working songs, which exhausted sailors used to survive life spent on the sea working for massive corporations.
Who did the music for Blow the man down?
Jordan Dykstra
Brian Mcomber
Blow the Man Down/Music composed by
Where did the phrase Blow the man down come from?
Blow the man down, bully, blow the man down; Way – hey, blow the man down. This old sea shanty from the 1860s refers to a ship from the Black Ball line and seems to have been a work-related tune that was sung, or chanted, by sailors as they were hoisting topsail yards.
What does blow the man down refer to?
The lyric “Blow the man down” most likely refers to a common mishap at sea during the age of sail wherein a strong, sudden gale catches a ship with its topsails fully set – the force of the wind, depending upon the load and balance of the ship’s cargo, can actually “blow the man down”, or blow the man-o’-war down into …
What is the meaning of Soon May the Wellerman Come?
“Soon May the Wellerman Come”, also known as “Wellerman” or “The Wellerman” [ c. 1860–70] is a sea ballad from New Zealand. The song refers to the “wellermen”, pointing to supply ships owned by the Weller brothers who were settlers from England.
Why is the Wellerman not a sea shanty?
Gerry Smyth, an English professor at Liverpool John Moores University and author of “Sailor Song: The Shanties & Ballads of the High Seas,” points out that chart-topping single “Wellerman” isn’t technically one: Shanties have a call-and-response structure that was used so sailors could sing and work in unison while …
Is Blow the man down a true story?
Blow the Man Down is not based on a true story. However, the Easter Cove women in the film are all based on real women from the lives of the writer/director duo.
What is a pulling shanty?
A shanty is a work song that was sung by the sailors on large merchant sailing ships to keep them in time when hauling on ropes or pulling oars etc. The songs had different rhythms and were improvised (adapted and made up) to be longer or shorter as needed.
Who was the sailor in blow the man down?
The men are raising the topsail on a merchant ship to get under sail from New York to Liverpool, with the chantey led by a sailor named Jimmie: Jimmie—Now rouse her right up boys for Liverpool town. Sailors—Go way, way, blow the man down.
Where did the song Blow the man down come from?
It is believed the sea shanty ‘Blow the Man Down’ dates to around the 1860s, and was featured in Laura Alexandrine Smith’s published collection of shanties, The Music of the Waters (1888). It is believed the lyrics relate to a mishap at sea, perhaps when a strong, sudden gale strikes, putting the men – and ship – in jeopardy.
What’s the verse to blow the man down?
Solo verse couplets documented to have been sung to “Blow the Man Down” include the following from sailors of the 19th century. A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet. So I took in all sail and cried, “Way enough now.”
When did George Haswell write blow the man down?
In 1879, George Haswell was passenger aboard another steamship, from London to Sydney, at which time he noted some of the shanties of the crew. These were published in the ship’s own fortnightly newspaper, The Parramatta Sun, and they included a full set of lyrics for “Blow the Man Down.”