WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. This is a journal blog, an explore-blog, a bit of this and that blog. Sharing where the mood takes me. Perhaps it will take you too.

Menoizikkuls; Midweek Musicalisms

Alert!!! FFF this week - short month beat me to it.... anyway, moving on...

This will be the final shanty post (for now anyway!)... I hope you have enjoyed it and been inspired to explore a little more of this musical form. It is so much more than mere emotion or rebellion. Social history, a marking of events and people and a rhythm of life are all contained in their beats and words. The last song I bring you marks the sense of survivor's guilt, a feeling of "there but for Grace go I" whilst honouring those who have crossed the great boundary. A fitting choice, perhaps, for the times we are in now. The Longest Johns is a group of young men from Bristol. (No, they are not all called John...)


If that hasn't moved you, perhaps some of the content in this program will. It is a BBC production, about ten years old, that poignantly covers the territory of the place of shanties and related songs in our history. Watch out for the women's songs of NE Scotland and the tale of the Whitby rescue... I am sure you will not think this a lost hour.

7 comments:

  1. taht is very touching...and it makes me pondering...in the old times it was really not easy to ride the waves and no buddy knew if he comes back or not...

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  2. Hi Yam - it's wonderful how things are being revived, kept and researched for more information/historical fact. Loved them ... cheers - Hilary

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  3. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh YAM I thoroughly enjoyed both videos...what catchy tunes and beautiful voices.
    OMCs the bees buzzing around the flowers looked as if they were coming through my monitor
    Hugs Cecilia

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  4. I love there harmony, so sweet and beautiful...

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  5. Love the music! Thank so much! It made my day!

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  6. It is a beautiful, soulful history of folks living and working together. It brought to mind songs of workers on the railway as well as chain gangs in the previous centuries. So many of the jobs lost to industrialization. But fishing remains dangerous for the crews. Thanks for researching and sharing. namaste, janice xx

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  7. We did listen too and watch both but F got a bit emotional so we held off commenting on the day. I think she is missing her choir. thank you for the documentary. xxx Mr T

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