Chanteys, Forebitters, Ballads, Ditties

I’m working on a readable explanation of the differences and why… To be posted soon.  “Chanteys” is a term broadly but incorrectly applied to songs of the sea and even spilling over into pub songs and any such song that can be rowdy, encouraging group singing or boisterous chorus.  A chantey is, specifically, a call-and-response song utilized in conjunction with a shipboard working job, such as all together manning the pumps, hauling on lines, stomping the4 capstan ’round.  So, “Whiskey in the Jar” is not chantey; nor is “Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain”… But “Away Rio” is indeed a capstan chantey, but we sing it in the format of a forebitter… That is to say, repackaged for entertainment value rather than as it would have been sung as the actual job was being done.

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