"Leave Her, Johnny"
This is a pumping shanty. Old wooden sailing ships were leaky as all get out. You can squeeze planks as close together as you want, but some water will still somehow find its way in. Sailing into port or fighting a naval battle or catching a whale tends to put a bit of wear and tear on even the sturdiest vessel. Pumping shanties are to keep the crew on the same note while they use buckets to slowly empty out the water.
But “Leave Her, Johnny” isn’t just any old pumping song. It’s sung for that final round of pumping before going ashore. It captures the wistful, melancholic tone of saying goodbye after a long voyage. It may have been a shitty voyage. You didn’t catch anything. You ran out of grog less than halfway through it. It was two of the worst years of your life, and you loved it. You’re going to miss it.
“Leave Her, Johnny” is also one of the shanties that got popular during the mid-century folk revival. Makem & Clancy busted it out to end a concert. The late, great Stan Rogers recorded an excellent version. But the first version I’ve heard also remains my favorite: The one from Assassin’s Creed IV. I actually used to take the extra long route to my destination whenever the crew started singing it.