Smith & Cross navy-strength rum 1/4 … Additional verses: Early in the morning. The Drunken Sailor Miscellaneous versus from a variety of sources. What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor is a popular sea shanty from England. Em D Em Ear-ly in the morning [Chorus] Em Hooray, and up she rises D Hooray, and up she rises Em Hooray, and up she rises Em D Em Ear-ly in the morning The song shares its tune with the traditional Irish folk song "Óró sé do bheatha abhaile" (Irish pronunciation: [ˈoːɾˠoː ʃeː d̪ˠə ˈvʲahə walʲə], English: "Oh-ro welcome home"), possibly a Jacobite song, as the traditional version mentions "Séarlas Óg" ("Young Charles" in Irish), referring to Bonnie Prince Charlie and dating the song to the third Jacobite rising of 1745–6. Give 'im a hair of the dog that bit him. [10] [36], The opera singer Leonard Warren recorded the song in July 1947[37] with the URL-eye pronunciation. [6], Although this is the earliest discovered published mention, there is some indication that the shanty is at least as old as the 1820s. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. or 'What Shall We Do With ADrunken Sailor?') Drunken Sailor February 11, 2011. Put him in the back of a paddy wagon (Great Big Sea) What does like a drunken sailor expression mean? What shall we do with a drunken sailor? Take him to the pub and get him drunker Though the rum rations are gone, the drunken sailor stereotype is thankfully dwindling, Navy Crow is celebrating our proud booze-addled heritage with the Squid Drinking Stein. / What will we do with a drunken sailor? Scuppers is a draining system on a boat. [9] However, the title did not appear in any of the other major shanty collections or articles of the 19th century. Drunken Sailor was, it's thought, also sometimes used as a capstan shanty. Find another word for drunken. Early in the morning. The air of the song, in the Dorian mode and in duple march rhythm, has been compared to the style of a bagpipe melody. The well-known 'Drunken Sailor' is a different kind of short drag shanty, a 'hand over hand' shanty with two or more pulls per verse. Also get updates and discounts and see new products before anyone else does. [5] Several of their recordings of the song, sometimes under the name "Weigh Hey and up She Rises" have "gone viral" on YouTube. It also forms part of a contrapuntal section in the BBC Radio 4 UK Theme by Fritz Spiegl, in which it is played alongside Greensleeves. Yeah we made Bob do the drunken sailor" by maddyyy.x December 20, 2008 chorus: Am G Am Ear-ly in the morning Am Hooray, and up she rises G Hooray, and up she rises Am Hooray, and up she rises Am G Am Ear-ly in the morning *****each line is sung 3 times then has the chorus … A drink provided much respite, and since they were horrifically underpaid, they were also given booze rations as part of their pay. This copper-cupped cocktail will bring out your inner pirate with a mix of Jamaican rum, sloe gin and the spiciest of Blenheim ginger ale lineup—the red-capped bottle. The authorship and origin of "Drunken Sailor" are unknown. Put him in the long-boat and make him bail her. Terry was one of few writers, however, to also state the shanty was used for heaving the windlass or capstan. T. and W. F. Arnold. "Folk-song of Nebraska and the Central West: A Syllabus". Look it up now! Tie him to the taffrail when she's yardarm under[15] W. B. Whall, a veteran English sailor of the 1860s–70s, was the next author to publish on "Drunken Sailor". Weigh heigh and up she rises (/Patent blocks of different sizes)[5] D That's what we do with the drunken sailor! (various) "Drunken Sailor" was revived as a popular song among non-sailors in the 20th century, and grew to become one of the best-known songs of the shanty repertoire among mainstream audiences. A common parody reference to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. [15] References the 1991 Tailhook scandal. Ho! Part of a collection of upcoming steins, it’s going to be your go-to drinking cup to honor our proud, storied tradition of getting tanked in foreign places and living up to the image our forefathers passed down to us. [4] The authorship and origin of "Drunken Sailor" are unknown. Ho! Subject: RE: Origins: Drunken Sailor-Dickens question for Gibb From: Steve Gardham Date: 05 Mar 16 - 03:13 PM Snuffy, Great stuff. 2008. Ho! "Drunken Sailor" is a sea shanty, also known as "What Shall We Do with a/the Drunken Sailor?". [11] Have you seen the Captain's Daughter? Way-hay, up she rises Way-hay, up she rises Way-hay, up she rises Early in the morning. The verses in Masefield's version asked what to do with a "drunken sailor", followed by a response, then followed by a question about a "drunken soldier", with an appropriate response. Early in the morning The melody was also utilized by NFL Films composer Sam Spence for his track "Up as She Rises."[27]. As you can see from the notes the tune is the same, just in a different key, showing that the latter is more than likely derivative of the first. "Mid-Life Crustacean" - Title card; Mr. Krabs goes to … Way hay and up she rises Way hay and up she rises Way hay and up she rises Early in the morning. 4 (1943). In some styles of performance, each successive verse suggests a method of sobering or punishing the drunken sailor. What shall we do with a drunken sailor? In other styles, further questions are asked and answered about different people. and up she rises. The song's accordion version is used in the Nickelodeon TV series, SpongeBob SquarePants, often in scenes involving the Krusty Krab. Great Big Sea is covering this traditional song, something that they do … There are many modern reasons sailors drink. The primary reason is because we have a long, storied history of having tons of booze on ships all the time. "Camp. Classical composers utilized the song in compositions. What will we do with a drunken sailor? Anyone who’s tried it knows grog isn’t an altogether pleasant, but it is drinkable, and it’ll get you where you’re going. Early in the morning? 1902. Don Janse produced an arrangement in the early 1960s which has been included in several choral music anthologies. The problem is as follows: Consider a town consisting of 3x2 blocks shown below. Our jobs are stressful, it makes the best of limited liberty time, and beer tastes good. Limes were a popular fruit onboard Caribbean sailing vessels since they provided sailors much-needed vitamin C to prevent scurvy. A suspicious person like me might wonder if later publishers of the tune were trawling through books for chanteys and found this. / What will we do with a drunken sailor? The song became popular on land in America as well. [15] The song also features prominently in the end credits. Beat 'im o'r wi' a cat-o-nine-tails. The air of the song, in the Dorian mode and in duple march rhythm, has been compared to the style of a bagpipe melody. Moreover, the song had largely gone out of use as a "walk away" shanty when the size of ships' crews was reduced and it was no longer possible to use that working method. There you’ll find a correlating ratio of drunken Marines, soldiers, and airmen, just like you’ll find plenty of drunk sailors. Evidently the tune's shared affinities with Anglo-Irish-American dance tunes helped it to become readapted as such, as Baltzell included it among a set of reels. Early in the morning. Most will actually tell you that the Marines are the heaviest drinkers, likely due to the heavier workload and more restrictive decompression time they have to deal with. I don't think it's big enough to put a man in there. "Krab Borg" - The ending 53b. The arrangement was first recorded by The Idlers, and has been performed by several collegiate groups over the years, including the Yale Alley Cats. Australian composer Percy Grainger incorporated the song into his piece "Scotch Strathspey And Reel" (1924). The glut of writings on sailors' songs and published collections that came starting in the 1920s supported a revival of interest in shanty-singing for entertainment purposes on land. Early in the morning! The influential shanty collector Stan Hugill (1961) subsequently wrote that the word was always pronounced /ˈɜːrleɪ/ URL-ay. Join the Crow's Nest to make yourself at least 10% more awesome than you are now. This lyric appears to have been circulated among folk song singers after, Charles S. Doskow. 1835 Britain, 1841 American ships, almost contemporary. [5] The film Fisherman's Friends (2019, Chris Foggin), based on a true story, features a Cornish group of fishermen who sing the song en route to hitting the pop charts and touring to this day. It is believed to originate in the early 19th century or before, during a period when ships’ crews, especially those of military vessels, were sufficiently large to permit hauling a rope whilst simply marching along the deck. Early in the morning. Another author to ascribe a function, Richard Runciman Terry, also said it could be used for "hand over hand" hauling. “the drunken sailor” definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. Synonyms: besotted, blasted, blind… Antonyms: sober, straight, temperate… Find … [24] As a response, the band released the 2012 album, "Drunken Sailor" including the title track and a prequel that tells the earlier life of the 'Drunken Sailor', called "Whores and Hounds".[25]. One of the easiest to identify is the stereotype of the drunken sailor. Drunken: being under the influence of alcohol. Keep him there and make 'im bail 'er. 1915. "Squid on Strike" - The ending 49a. A version of the song appears in the 2012 stealth video-game Dishonored. [33] ’sé do ḃeaṫa a ḃaile (modern script: Ó ro! Ho! "Truthful James". [14] This would be in contradistinction to the much more typical "halyards shanties", which were for heavier work with an entirely different sort of pacing and formal structure. "Shanghaied" - "Yer part of my crew now and our job is to sail around and frighten people." Ho! The shanty was sung to accompany certain work tasks aboard sailing ships, especially those that required a bright walking pace. Another version of the song by Sean Dagher, Michiel Schrey, and Nils Brown appears in the 2013 action-adventure video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Drunken Sailor (also known as 'What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor?' It first enters the historical record in the What'll we do with a Limejuice skipper? The History of the Drunken Sailor. As such, R. R. Terry's very popular shanty collection, which had begun to serve as a resource for renditions of shanties on commercial recordings in the 1920s, was evidently used by the Robert Shaw Chorale for their 1961 rendition. What shall we do with the Virgin Mary? A catalogue of "folk-songs" from the Midwest included it in 1915, where it was said to be sung while dancing "a sort of reel". Definition of like a drunken sailor in the Idioms Dictionary. The song is No. "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor? The "drunken sailor" problem can serve as an introductory example on Monte Carlo experiments. / Early in the morning / … Williams, James H. "The Sailors' 'Chanties. A drinking game where you throw vodka in someones eyes, and kick them in the leg so they are wobbling around looking like a drunken sailor. is a sea shanty. Beyond the collective sing-along nature of the sea chantey craze, there’s something else: It’s catchy as hell. [5] Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Way hay and up she rises, Early in the morning! Make him sing in an Irish Rock band (Sevon Rings) However, one of Carpenter's recordings of a man named Tom Leary, which can be heard online, does in fact use this pronunciation. With the advent of merchant packet and clipper ships and their smaller crews, which required different working methods, use of the shanty appears to have declined or shifted to other, minor tasks. While this obviously isn’t true of modern ships (unfortunately, we’re not British, Canadian, Australian, or any of the dozens of military’s that allow drinking on ships), it’s very true of times past. [5] Lock him in a room with disco music (Schooner Fare – Finnegan's Wake), In modern performances, the word early is often pronounced as URL-eye (/ˈɜːrlaɪ/). Long haul or 'halyard shanties' by contrast are songs for more sustained periods of pulling. Put him in the guardroom till he gets sober. [5] They include a reference in a work of fiction from 1855 in which a drunken female cook is portrayed singing, Hee roar, up she rouses, Put him at the wheel of an Exxon tanker. [10][5] In Eckstorm and Smyth's collection Minstrelsy of Maine (published 1927), the editors note that one of their grandmothers, who sang the song, claimed to have heard it used during the task of tacking on the Penobscot River "probably [by the time of the editor's reportage] considerably over a hundred years ago".[7]. On the television series Seaquest DSV, the shanty is sung by Chief Manilow Crocker (Royce D. Applegate) and crew as they begin repairs on a submarine during the Season 1 Episode "Bad Water" aired 7 November 1993. Any shipmate who has ever been on a deployment knows that a sailor who doesn’t imbibe in a liberty port is a rarity, even a curiosity. [15], In 1906, Percy Grainger recorded Charles Rosher of London, England, singing "What shall we do with a drunken sailor", and the recording is available online via the British Library Sound Archive. What will we do with a drunken sailor? Early in the morning? Stick on his back a mustard plaster. Bars, called handspikes, would be placed into the capstan wheel and sailors would walk around pushing on the handspikes, turning the capstan and raising the anchor. Put him in the long boat 'til he's sober. The first published description of the shanty is found in an account of an 1839 whaling voyage out of New London, Connecticut to the Pacific Ocean. Publications in the 19th and early 20th century, however, made no note of a stylized or vernacular pronunciation. Put him in bed with the captain's daughter. Traditional verses: [34] Drunken Sailor is a Sea Shanty; a type of work song that would help sailors keep a rhythm while they worked. [17], "Drunken Sailor" began its life as a popular song on land at least as early as the 1900s, by which time it had been adopted as repertoire for glee singing at Eton College. Am What shall we do with the drunken sailor? Put/chuck him in the long boat 'til he's sober. Weigh heigh and up she rises (/Hoo-ray and up she rises) Anyone who has ever heard the old saying “drunk as a sailor” might be under the impression that the phrase originated from the countless stories of shore leave in which sea-mad Navy men would step out on dry land and wreak havoc on the locals through a booze-soaked tapestry of bar fights and self-loathing. Early in the morning. What shall we do with a drunken sailor, like a drunken sailor phrase. Sailors were also responsible for the concept of citrus being mixed with alcohol. Bullen, Frank. Let’s be real: some stereotypes are true. Capt. Parody verses: Throw him in th' bilge and make him drink it, Put him in his cabin and stop his liquour, Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Trice him up in a runnin' bowline, Take him and shake him and try and wake him, Give him a taste o' the bosun's rope end, What shall we do with a drunken sailor, Give 'im a dose of salt and water. Tie him to the mast and then you flog him. Scrape the hair off his chest with a hoop-iron razor. The tune is almost identical to what we still sing today. The tune was noted, along with these lyrics: Ho! For over 50 years The Irish Rovers have played the song as their usual show-closer. [11] The lyrics given by Whall are essentially the same as those from Masefield: about a "drunken sailor", then a "drunken soldier". Let’s be real: some stereotypes are true. G What shall we do with the drunken sailor? Here are the note sheets for both Óró sé do bheatha 'bhaile and What shall we do with the drunken sailor. Malcolm Arnold used its melody in his Three Shanties for Woodwind Quintet, Op. 55b. The song has been widely recorded under a number of titles by a range of performers including Black Lagoon, The King's Singers, Pete Seeger, The Blaggards, U.K. Subs, and most notably The Irish Rovers. [5] [21] More evidence of lands-folk's increasing familiarity with "Drunken Sailor" comes in the recording of a "Drunken Sailor Medley" (c. 1923) by U.S. Old Time fiddler John Baltzell. Give 'im a taste of the bosun's rope-end. So why do sailors have the stigma of being the heaviest drinkers? Later sailors' recollections, however, attested that the song continued to be used as a shanty, but for other purposes. The verses in this version all result in the subject whaler's death, such as "feed him to the hungry rats for dinner" (a reference to the rat plague that was a major plot point in the title). Heave him by the leg in a runnin' bowline. Fair Winds and Following Seas. Along with their daily ration of grog, they’d mix the sour juice in, add a bit of sugar, and bam: you’ve got yourself a mojito. Despite these indications of the song's existence in the first half of the 19th century, references to it are rare. Hit him on the head with a drunken soldier Refrain: Shave his chin with a rusty razor. A "drunken sailor" stands in one of the two crossroads and he wants to leave the town. [32] What shall we do with a drunken soldier? He claimed that this was one of only two shanties that was sung in the British Royal Navy (where singing at work was generally frowned upon). What shall we do with a drunken sailor? by Todd Gilbert | Oct 3, 2016 | Crows Nest. [15] 1855. and up she rises. "Two Dinner Failures". The myth of the drunken sailor has some truth behind it. 51 synonyms of drunken from the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, plus 25 related words, definitions, and antonyms. Find it here. Drunken Sailor Lyrics: What will we do with a drunken sailor? T The authorship … [16] The folklorist James Madison Carpenter recorded several veteran sailors singing the song in the 1920s and 30s, which can be heard online courtesy of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. [38], Chorus: Hoorah! Weigh heigh and up she rises Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Shave his belly with a rusty razor, Shave his belly with a rusty razor, 1 1/2 oz. [35] Popular chanteys include "What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor" and "Soon May the Wellerman Come." It is also known as What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor. [5] What will we do with a drunken sailor? An also notable cover was performed in 1966 by the Belgian skiffle-singer Ferre Grignard. The above-mentioned and other veteran sailors[12] characterized "Drunken Sailor" as a "walk away" shanty, thus providing a possible explanation for why it was not noted more often in the second half of the 19th century. What will we do with a drunken sailor? Drunken Sailor Traditional Am What shall we do with the drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? Shave his belly with a rusty razor. It the one of the few songs the British Royal Navy permitted its crew to sing aboard ship. I'm listening to the song What shall we do with the drunken sailor and now can't understand what they advise to do with the drunken sailor: Put him in the scuppers with a hose-pipe on him. Although the song's lyrics vary, they usually contain some variant of the question, "What shall we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?" Put/lock him in the guard room 'til he gets sober. This version is called "The Drunken Whaler" however, tying into the video game's fictional world; where whaling is a prominent and important industry. The British group Lord Rockingham's XI used the tune as the basis for their instrumental "Long John". What shall we do with a drunken sailor, What shall we do with the Queen o' Sheba? Any shipmate who has ever been on a deployment knows that a sailor who doesn’t imbibe in a liberty port is a rarity, even a curiosity. [22] The Norman Luboff Choir recorded the song in 1959 with the uncharacteristic phrasing, "What'll we do...?"[23]. But the most weird phrase to me is with a hose-pipe on him. ’sé do bheatha a bhaile) and is marked “Ancient clan march.” It can also be found at number 983 (also marked “Ancient Clan March”) and as a fragment at number 1056, titled Welcome home Prince Charley. It has been performed and recorded by many musical artists and appeared in many popular media. [5] Early in the morning. One can imagine the scene: A sailor does not appear on deck for his seafaring duties and is discovered intoxicated in his bunk. [5] It was used as an example of a song that was "performed with very good effect when there is a long line of men hauling together". Our original and exclusively offered USA produced US Navy products and designs support the history, traditions and values of the United States Navy. Drunken Sailor has been the show closer for The Irish Rovers for over 55 years. According to Song Facts, it is one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon sea shanties, one sung by the Indiamen of the Honourable John Company. Dickens, Charles ed. Put him in the long-boat and make him bail her. "Drunken Sailor (B)" was composed by Robin Jeffrey and Tim Laycock. Pull out the bung and wet him all over. Under license with the US Navy Trademark and Licensing departments a percentage of each sale supports the MWR programs they administer. [three times] What shall we do with the drunken sailor?[8]. It is believed to originate in the early 19th century or before, during a period when ships' crews, especially those of military vessels, were large enough to permit hauling a rope whilst simply marching along the deck. One of the oldest known Anglo-Saxon sea shanties, having been sung in the Indiamen of the Honorable John Company, "Drunken Sailor" was the only song the Royal Navy allowed its crew members to sing on board. "Clams" - Mr. Krabs shows SpongeBob and Squidward that he got his millionth dollar back. e.g. When John Masefield next published the lyrics in 1906, he called it a "bastard variety" of shanty which was "seldom used"[10]—an assertion supported by the lack of many earlier references. “What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?” was a work song, mainly sung on ships with a large number of crewmen. And generally, in the calm latitudes, up in the horse latitudes in the North Atlantic Ocean, usually they rig up a purchase for to scrub the bottom. Recently, their recording of "Drunken Sailor" reached a younger audience on YouTube. 40a. Pound, Louise. Put him in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him. And up she rises [three times, appears before each verse]. “Drunken Sailor” is all about the horrible punishments inflicted on sailors who were caught drinking “Shave his belly with a rusty razor” - give him tetanus and let him die of disease “Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe on him” - waterboarding In 2010, The Irish Rovers marked their 45th anniversary with the release of the CD Gracehill Fair, which won a local music award on their home base of Vancouver Island. Navy Crow supports the men and women of the United States Navy both past and present. In the days of sailing ships, sailors worked 24/7 to keep the ship moving, with only the occasional break for the occasional bout of high-seas terror. and up she rises, Sea shanties were sailors' work songs. Em That's what we do with the drunken sailor! Almost all of the available field recordings, including those by James Madison Carpenter in the 1920s use this[clarification needed] pronunciation. Sometimes you will have to sing 'drunken sailor' after this, but most people don't know the words to this so it is rarely done. " After an iron ship has been twelve months at sea, there's a quite a lot of barnacles and grass grows onto her bottom. 322 in the Roud Folk Song Index. What will we do with a drunken sailor? [5] But anybody who’s ever been to Waikiki after 2100 knows that this is absolutely not inherent of the Navy. Drunken Sailor (drunk sailor) Origin, * Drunken Sailor * is a traditional Shanty, a working song of the seafarers, in Doric mode. Put him in the bilge and make him drink it. [5] The song details the many different ways the crew will punish a sailor who got drunk and shirked his duties. 1927. The Russian band "Aquarium" has a song called "What should we do with a drunken sailor?". 1914. Richard Maitland, an American sailor of the 1870s, sang it for song collector Alan Lomax in 1939, when he explained, Now this is a song that's usually sang when men are walking away with the slack of a rope, generally when the iron ships are scrubbing their bottom. While many alcohols were brought onboard ships, one of the most enduring was grog. This style of shanty, called a "runaway chorus" by Masefield, and as a "stamp and go" or "walk away" shanty by others, was said to be used for tacking and which was sung in "quick time". One of the easiest to identify is the stereotype of the drunken sailor. What shall we do with a drunken sailor? Reprehensibility, the Exxon Valdez and Punitive Damages" Express, "What shall we do with a drunken sailor - Percy Grainger ethnographic wax cylinders - World and traditional music | British Library - Sounds", "Versions of "Drunken Sailor" recorded by James Madison Carpenter", http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/regional/irish-rovers-return-with-titanic-tribute-1-3557071, http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/video-irish-rovers-release-titanic-tribute-song-28719763.html, https://nypost.com/2015/01/28/the-11-best-over-the-top-tunes-from-nfl-films/, https://genius.com/Ringo-starr-youre-sixteen-youre-beautiful-youre-mine-lyrics, https://www.lyricsondemand.com/r/ringostarrlyrics/youresixteenyourebeautifulyoureminelyrics.html, "What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor (VWML Song Index SN 19175)", "Sea Shanties • Kipling Songs • Songs for Everyone", Another example version with lyrics and alternative chorus, Ubisoft's version from the game Black Flag, An example of a high school male choir singing the version arranged by Robert Shaw and Alice Parker, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Drunken_Sailor&oldid=1004888913, Articles with incomplete citations from March 2020, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from February 2021, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 February 2021, at 22:39. Soak him in oil till he sprouts a flipper. A five-verse set of lyrics and tune were published in the third edition of Davis and Tozer's shanty collection, Sailor Songs or 'Chanties'. The air of the song, in the Dorian mode and in duple march rhythm, has been compared to the style of a bagpipe melody. The myth of the drunken sailor has some truth behind it. Keel haul him till he's sober. Significantly, he stated that these were the only lyrics, as evidently the task did not take long to complete. [1][2] The tune appears as number 1425 in George Petrie's The Complete Collection of Irish Music (1855) under the title Ó ro! LeperKhanz recorded a version of the song on the album Tiocfaidh Ár Lá (2005). While wine and beer would sour over long voyages, rum stayed fresh due to the high alcohol content and mixed well with water, creating grog. As much as it’s easily dueted on TikTok, it’s also an earworm. Irish Rovers concert in Toronto with Will Millar, George Millar, Joe Millar, Jimmy Ferguson and Wilcil McDowell. Later, on his popular recording of 1956, Burl Ives also pronounced early as URL-eye. [13], Another American sailor of the 1870s, Frederick Pease Harlow, wrote in his shanty collection that "Drunken Sailor" could be used when hauling a halyard in "hand over hand" fashion to hoist the lighter sails. A Prospect". Stwff 17:15, 29 December 2012 (UTC) History [3] "Óró sé do bheatha abhaile" was often sung by the Irish Volunteers during the Easter Rising, but with different, non-sectarian lyrics composed by Pádraig Pearse. Drunken Sailor was probably a 'walk away' shanty, meaning that it was sung in time to tasks that were performed at walking pace - for example, hauling a rope by marching along the deck.