by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Work Songs

Know any Sea Shanties, anyone? Tall ship, Europa, in Nova Scotia, Canada. Photo by Wayne Linton from Pixabay.

Written for Colleen M. Chesebro’s

TankaTuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No.320, 5/15/23

https://wordcraftpoetry.com

Work Songs

lonesome drudgery

comraderie of work songs

brings exuberance

Copyright© 2023 by Cheryl Batavia

About Work Songs

Work songs are traditional songs found in many cultures that coordinate the efforts of people working together. They also provide relief from monotony and form bonds among workers.

I first became aware of work songs as a nine-year old piano student learning to play “The Volga Boatmen.” As a young adult working in a clothing factory and in a printing company, I heard other workers singing along with Loretta Lynne and Elvis Presley as they did their routine work.

Here are some examples of work songs:

Wellerman (Sea Shanty)

Nathan Evans

Pick a Bale of Cotton

Lead Belly

The Song of the Volga Boatmen

(in English and Russian, with beautiful paintings)

Paul Robeson

86 Comments

  1. Thank you, Cheryl, for such a lovely surprise! I love the songs and the stories behind them. My father, a doctor went on the tall ship “Dar Pomorza” around the world on its maiden journey.

    Joanna

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. My pleasure, Joanna. How exciting for your father to sail around the world on a tall ship! The tall ships I have been on never left the harbor. 🙂 I am happy that you enjoyed the post, and that it brought back pleasant memories for you. Thank you so much for your lovely comment! ❤

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Yes, it is, and my father’s name is on the bronze plaque in the salon. I have a book about Dar Pomorza and I am

        a recipient of the medal given to me by the Society of the Friends of the Museum.

        The reason for this honour is because after World War II there were the thousands of children from a poor agricultural background who were left disabled by the exploding mines left in the fields by the retreating armies, both Germans and Russian.

        With the money from Caritas, my father bought a medieval castle and the other buildings, and set up the Rehabilitation Hospital and

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Difficult day today but I want to add to my story. My father’s affinity with

        disabled children resulted in many going to study at various universities and leading happy lives.

        When they became older, they decided to immortalize my father’s work and one wrote a book about the methods in the hospital that resulted in such a success.

        They traced me to England and asked for any photographs or memories of my father. When the book was finished they arranged for a big plaque to be installed in the entrance hall of the hospital. His bust was sculptured and the words said:

        “Dr Miroslaw Leskiewich, creator of this hospital and its first director.

        One of them, dr Fryderyk Tomala traveled the world as an executive of a shipping company, and we become good friends after he retired.

        The gratitude children felt when they were grown up was something very moving.

        Thank you for your time, Cheryl.

        Joanna x

        Liked by 1 person

    4. It is my pleasure to hear the rest of your wonderful story about your father, Joanna. Thank you for taking the time to tell the story. What a remarkable man! It sounds like his good deeds made a huge difference in many lives. How gratifying that he was recognized for his accomplishments by the disabled children he helped to go on to successful, productive lives!

      I hope all is right with your computer now, and that you had a good day! ❤

      Like

      Reply

  9. Lovely, Cheryl. Sea shanties are a glorious invention that put one in a great mood I think. And make work fun. Lifts the spirit. I love the idea. The videos you share are lovely as is your haiku. Thanks dearly. Blessings.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. What a beautiful response to this post, Selma! I made it after reading about Colleen’s challenge on your site. I learned today how to post Youtube videos as well as how to participate in challenges. At least, I hope I did it right! Technology is always a challenge. 🙂 Thank you for your inspiration and encouragement. ❤ ❤ ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I had something to do with that?! Oh 😮! So happy to be the messenger then. Yay! You did an amazing job. I wrote one silly Sea Shanty in April during NaPo — it was my very first. Lots of firsts for me. And your videos enhanced the work song. Splendid. Blessings. Xoxo

        Liked by 1 person

  10. A fascinating piece of musical history Cheryl, I particularly liked Nathan’s voice!

    I’ve literally just finished reading about Bone Music, when certain types of music were banned by dictators bootleggers risked goal by recoding music tracks on old xrays – hence the name ‘bone’ music. One would go down to the black market and purchase their xray not even aware of what track they were taking home. Some recordings were dodgy but some ‘gang’s took great pride in making very worthy recordings.

    Music is a rather magical link across time and culture 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Kate, for your intriguing comment! I too, liked Nathan’s voice. Interesting that a baby-faced young man has a voice like that! I enjoyed listening to work songs and choosing these three. I am sure that they exist in many cultures. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. So glad you liked the music, Lavinia! I enjoyed listening to and choosing the videos. How cool that you know musicians who perform sea shanties! 🙂

      Spring weather must be lovely where you are. I hope you are doing well! ❤ ❤ ❤

      Like

      Reply

  15. A beautiful post, a bit different, Cheryl! Loved your poem and enjoyed songs, especially the first two, that fuel energy. Incidentally my son has joined merchant navy. 😊❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. My pleasure to share what I am learning and to learn from you too, Eugi. 🙂 It was fun listening to work songs on YouTube and choosing three. Thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot to me that you enjoyed the post. ❤ ❤ ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  17. Cheryl, I remember singing along to Nina Simone’s version of ‘I shall be released’ when trying to finish a school project before the holidays! This post brought the memory back 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Not sure I would be into a daily diet of Lead Belly. I do like this song and enjoyed learning about the historical context. Chuck Berry is also an icon. Might be fun to know more about him, too!

      Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts. Very much appreciated! ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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