chantey dilemma

[ceph]

OK, so I'm working on this song about Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance and that epic survival tale, but I'm a bit stuck on the chorus. I was going to use

Comments

[beyondthesunset]

I vote for Somewhat Sentimental. Yay for sea chanties!

[ceph]

Yay chanties!

I can always switch it out according to audience, too.

[adiva_calandia]

I also like Sort Of Sentimental, with "It's cheer up, me lads." The Subtle but Shameless Pun is also kind of great.

Based on Ren Faire songs, I think you can get away with little variations in the first version: "The mighty ship Endurance is a-sinking at the Pole," "The mighty ship Endurance no more sailing toward the Pole," "The mighty ship Endurance was a-sailing toward the Pole," etc. Maybe? I don't know how quick to pick up changes chantey singers are.

[ceph]

It'd be feasible to change it--it's no big deal if people are off by a word or two--but especially with a song that nobody knows, by reason of it didn't exist until yesterday, I think it's better to keep the chorus consistent.

[garote]

I like the energy and visuals of your original chorus.
Also, tense is flexible in a chorus, so instead of "was" or "is", why not:

In the icebergs that clash, and the great waves that roll,
The mighty ship Endurance went a-sailing for the pole.

[ceph]

Ah, I like that! An elegant solution.