What's the difference between a sea shanty and a sea song anyways?

That’s a frequently asked question and a not terrible one at that. The difference is that sea shanties are workings songs while the latter is simply a song related to the sea. Both are in the midst of popular resurgence, but sailing itself remains obsolete. What’s to separate a shanty from a sea song when there is no sailing work to be done?

Shanties and sea songs touch on the same themes and topics. It doesn’t really help that many of the revival takes on sea songs share a similar style as shanties with soaring choruses. The difference itself doesn’t really matter. It’s an archaic distinction that only a few salty old farts and yacht enthusiasts really care about.

But I care. It’s the very functionality of shanties that makes them interesting. Sea songs are merely thematically similar a capella songs, and a capella sucks extremely hard. Okay, so some sea songs are good, such as this version of “Rolling Down to Old Maui” by the late, great Stan Rogers. It’s fine. Even genuinely stirring. But, by golly, is it not a badass work song like “Haul Away, Joe.”