Media Monday: The Last Shanty

There's been a lot of talk around our new exhibit about the decline and revival of working sail, but most of it has been rather serious or technical.

​This isn't, at all, in any way.

I first became aware of this tune through my Dad, who was in the Navy and sang with several choirs while he was in. It's a classic example of mild sarcasm to deal with the changing of the times and the decline of sail, as well as other technical changes which occurred quite rapidly over the 20th century. The song comically laments changes and the now-pointless nicknames of some jobs, such as Bunting-Tossers (signalers), Stokers (engineers), and the change from hammocks to bunks. 

This is also a song that has seen some significant revival recently, being recorded in several styles, of which these two are just a sampling. David Coffin is an old hand in the nautical and folk music scene, but Nathan Evans is a relatively new Scottish pop-folk sensation.  This broadening of audiences helps spread and preserve these songs as a living and changing tradition, as they have been for thousands of years.

So, sit back and enjoy the sounds of a satirical farewell to the first age of sail, and an ode to the harder, harsher, near-unsurvivable, tough old days of the "Real Navy" only remembered by Senior Chief Petty Officers who are nearing retirement.

LYRICS (From David Coffin's version):

Well my father often told me when I was just a lad
A sailor's life is very hard, the food is always bad
But now I've joined the navy, I'm aboard a man-o-war
And now I've found a sailor ain't a sailor any more

Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore

Well the killick of our mess he says we had it soft
It wasn't like that in his day when we were up aloft
We like our bunks and sleeping bags, but what's a hammock for?
Swinging from the deckhead, or lying on the floor?

Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore

They gave us an engine that first went up and down
Then with more technology the engine went around
We know our steam and diesels but what's a mainyard for?
A stoker ain't a stoker with a shovel anymore

Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore

They gave us an Aldiss Lamp so we could do it right
They gave us a radio, we signaled day and night
We know our codes and ciphers but what's a sema for?
A bunting-tosser doesn't toss the bunting anymore

Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore

Two cans of beer a day and that's your bleeding lot
And now we've got an extra one because they stopped The Tot
So we'll put on our civvy-clothes find a pub ashore
A sailor's still a sailor just like he was before

Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore

​

Author

Steven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years.

---

​If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!

Donate Now

Join Today