Skip to main content
Back to Show
Rogue History

Did Pirates Really Sing Sea Shanties? It’s Complicated

Season 1 Episode 4

Songs like “A Pirate’s Life for Me” and “Dead Man’s Chest” are as prevalent in pirate lore as eye patches or treasure maps. These tunes, however, were written more than a hundred years after the golden age of piracy. Join us as we trace the roots of TikTok’s viral sea shanties and examine the types of music pirates likely heard on the open seas.

Support Provided By
Season
Anne Bonny to Zheng Yi Sao: The Notorious Women of Piracy
8:20
Explore the incredible and unsung stories of history’s most notorious women pirates.
Black Caesar: The Pirate with a Thousand Faces
8:04
Here’s why so many pirates of African descent share the name “Black Caesar.”
What Pop Culture Gets Wrong About Pirates
8:35
Unravel the common misconceptions of pirates in pop culture.
Active loading indicator