Sea shanties are work songs commonly sung aboard ships by sailors either to keep the crew in time while performing tasks or just for entertainment. They were especially common among Navy men but were also popular among merchant sailors. Shanties usually consist of two parts: The chant and the chorus. The chant is often be initiated by a single crewman who will sing the opening lines and establish the beat; the rest of the crew will then join in with the chorus.

Most of the shanties known today survive thanks to the documentation and collections of Stan Hugill, often known as the last working shantyman.

Sea shanties were featured in the soundtracks for the video games “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” and “Assassin’s Creed: Rogue”.