08/14/2026
Check out this musical fun fact! 🤯💡🎵
Sea shanties have been making a big splash even in the 21st century thanks to cartoons like SpongeBob SquarePants, but they're more than just songs. Sea shanties were used by sailors to coordinate tasks that needed to be done in unison. From winding a rope around a winch, pumping sea water out of a ship's hold, and everything in between, different types of shanties were used for different tasks. Because they were meant to be purely practical, lyrics were often improvised and at times nonsensical. Many tasks could stop abruptly and without notice, so telling a story through the lyrics was somewhat illogical. Though they were strictly work songs, they did serve to boost morale and teamwork among the sailors, as they spent many long days at sea. Have you ever made up a little song to make a chore easier?
