A
sea shanty,
chantey, or
chanty is a type of
work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large
merchant sailing vessels. The term
shanty most accurately refers to a specific style of work song belonging to this historical
repertoire. However, in recent, popular usage, the scope of its definition is sometimes expanded to admit a wider range of repertoire and characteristics, or to refer to a “maritime work song” in general.