The music of the sailors had two primary purposes: to ease the arduous work they performed and to entertain themselves when off watch. The work songs were used when hauling on lines, lanyards, sheets etc and raising the anchor. When the shantyman (the one singing) emphasized the 'key' word, all hands would sing along and haul away. In this manner, the joint effort was coordinated and the job done quickly. Most of the songs we have today are British in origin. To speak the obvious, the British were, and still are, a maritime nation. In the days of sail, their empire was maintained by the projection of their seapower, both militarily and commercially.

This is not to imply that other nations did not have shanties of their own, for they did. In fact, some of the British shanties were of foreign origin, though many more British shanties made their way into other navies. The same holds true for the language of the sailor. That is a topic which is discussed on another board.

The following shanty, titled "Haul on th' Bowlin'", and just one version, is a typical example of a hauling song. The emphasized word "haul" is when all the sailors would exert themselves at the same time. The pause between hauls would be a period to rest and prepare for the next effort.

Haul on th' bowlin', our bully ship's a-rollin',
Haul on th' bowlin', th' bowlin' Haul!
Haul on th' bowlin', Kitty is m' darlin',
Haul on th' bowlin', th' bowlin' Haul!
Haul on th' bowlin', Kitty lives in Liverpool,
Haul on th' bowlin', th' bowlin' Haul!
Haul on th' bowlin', the old man is a-growlin',
Haul on th' bowlin', th' bowlin' Haul!
Haul on th' bowlin', it's a far cry t' payday,
Haul on th' bowlin', th' bowlin' Haul!
Haul on th' bowlin', so early in th' mornin'.
Haul on th' bowlin', th' bowlin' Haul!

For their entertainment, sailors would also sing songs about home, their loves, and, of course, the sea and her creatures. The following song, titled "The Mermaid" or, alternatively "The Stormy Winds Do Blow", is an example of this type of shanty.

It was Friday morn when we set sail,
And we were not so far from the land,
When our captain, he spied a mermaid so fair,
With a comb and a glass in her hand.

Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
We old sailors are skipping at the top,
While the landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.

And up spoke the captain of our gallant ship,
And a fine old man was he.
"This fishy mermaid has warned me of our doom,
We shall sink to the bottom of the sea"

And the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
And we old salts are sittin' at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.

And up speaks the mate of our gallant ship,
And a well-spoken man was he,
"Oh, I have a wife in Salem by the sea,
And tonight a widow she will be."

Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
We brave tars are skipping at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.

And up spoke the cabin-boy of our gallant ship,
And a brave young lad was he.
"Oh, I have a sweetheart in Plymouth by the sea,
And tonight she'll be weeping for me."

Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
And we old sailors are sitting at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.

And up spoke the cook of our gallant ship,
And a crazy old butcher was he.
"Oh I care much more for my pots and my pans,
Than I do for the bottom of the sea."

Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
We old sailors are skipping at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.

Then three times around spun our gallant ship,
And three times around spun she.
And three times around spun our gallant ship,
And she went to the bottom of the sea.

Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
We brave tars are skipping at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.