Intermediate Set

The intermediate pool is roughly 12 songs — story songs with real verse loads, more chord movement, and the crew's first serious harmony arrangements. This is where the Stan Rogers / Great Big Sea / Newfoundland core lives — the heart of a Canadian shanty band.

These come in across Phases 2 and 3 of the roadmap, once the beginner pool is solid. At least three of the beginner songs should be reliable before you add the first intermediate.

Type codes: H = halyard, C = capstan, F = forecastle/ballad, P = pub singalong.

Phase 2 intermediates (months 3–6)

Barrett's Privateers (F, D major)

Stan Rogers' 1976 masterpiece. Strict 3/4 time, sung a cappella by Stan in concert (you can do it with light guitar). Four chords. A complete story in seven verses — the captain who promised the crew "the sweet trade" and got everyone killed.

The encore. Canadiana scripture. Every shanty band must know this song. The lead carries six story verses; the room owns the chorus.

→ Barrett's Privateers

Northwest Passage (F, D major)

Stan Rogers, 1981. Often called Canada's unofficial second national anthem. A cappella verses, full-band chorus. Four chords.

The a cappella verse is the band's first real test of pure-vocal discipline. Six men have to sing in unison, in tune, without instrumental support, telling Stan's story of the Franklin expedition. If the band can't hold pitch on the verses, the song falls apart.

→ Northwest Passage

Lukey's Boat (C, D major)

Newfoundland traditional. Rollicking "Aha me b'ys" call-and-response. Three chords, easy NL entry point. Floating verses you can sing in any order. The Great Big Sea reference recording is the modern standard.

→ Lukey's Boat

The Night Pat Murphy Died (P, G major)

Johnny Burke's Newfoundland comic wake song (c.1900). Three chords. Reliable crowd favourite via Great Big Sea. Commit to the comedy: the lead should shake their head ruefully on "sin and shame" and wink on "winked at one another."

→ The Night Pat Murphy Died

Bully in the Alley (H, D minor)

Halyard shanty. Heavier groove than Drunken Sailor (about 95 BPM). The rhythm sits slower and the chorus needs to feel heavy — commit to landing every "way, hey, bully in the alley" with full weight. A song that rewards a confident bodhrán player.

→ Bully in the Alley

Bonus Phase 2 pieces

Three Newfoundland traditional songs that fit Phase 2 in feel and difficulty:

I'se the B'y — the Newfoundland-trad anthem ("Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo!"). Three chords, three verses, lively jig feel.
Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor — the comic Jonah parody. Three chords, the punchline ("turned him INSIDE OUT") gets the laugh every time.
Lots of Fish in Bonavist' Harbour — aka Feller from Fortune. Newfoundland dancing song with metaphorical fish-and-fishermen lyrics. Three chords.

Phase 3 intermediates (months 6–9)

The Mary Ellen Carter (F, G major)

Stan Rogers, 1979. After Barrett's Privateers, the most famous Stan Rogers song. Four chords. Mid-tempo, builds across six verses to a triumphant final chorus ("RISE AGAIN, RISE AGAIN!").

The song's structural arc is the lesson here. The first verse and chorus are quiet; each verse adds energy; by the final chorus the whole band is at maximum volume and harmony. You have to plan this arc — it doesn't happen automatically.

→ The Mary Ellen Carter

Rolling Down to Old Maui (C, D major)

A 19th-century whaling forebitter — sung off-duty by whalers returning home. Stan Rogers' 1979 live arrangement is the modern reference (you can hear the entire audience singing the chorus). Three chords, but six verses telling a different image of the long journey home.

It's a long song (4+ minutes), and the pacing matters. The verses build a picture; the chorus releases. If you rush the verses to get to the chorus, you kill the song. This is the song where the band learns patience.

→ Rolling Down to Old Maui

Whiskey in the Jar (F, G major)

Irish traditional, the maritime tradition absorbed it whole. More chord movement than the typical three-chord shanty (G, Em, C, D, sometimes Bm). The verse is a story — no improvisation.

The Dubliners' 1968 recording is the standard, but the Thin Lizzy 1972 rock arrangement is the version most audiences will know. Choose your reference and commit.

→ Whiskey in the Jar

Wild Mountain Thyme (F, G major; sometimes D major)

Scottish/Irish traditional in the McPeake arrangement. Three or four chords. Gentle 3/4 waltz time. "Will you go, lassie, go?" — the most romantic chorus in the folk repertoire.

The crew's dedicated 3-part harmony study piece. The slow tempo and lyrical melody give every singer room to find their part. Sit with it until the harmony lines are clean, then move on.

→ Wild Mountain Thyme

The Parting Glass (F, E minor)

Scottish/Irish traditional, pre-1800 origin. The perfect set-closer. Sung a cappella in three- or four-part harmony.

This is the song that teaches the band blend, control, and silence. The audience should be silent during the song; the band should hold the final chord ringing in the air before any next move.

→ The Parting Glass

Bonus Phase 3 pieces

Don't Forget Your Old Shipmate — the slow shanty. Featured in Master and Commander (2003). Two voices in close harmony. The crew's first quiet two-part work.
She's Like the Swallow — Newfoundland traditional modal lament. Slow, quiet, almost a cappella. Proves the band knows when to play quiet.

A 25-minute intermediate-heavy set

For a crew that has these mostly down:

Wellerman — opener, recognisable, gets the audience in.
Bully in the Alley — heavier; commit to the pull.
The Mary Ellen Carter — first big Stan Rogers song; build the arc.
She's Like the Swallow — drop to almost-silence; the pivot.
Northwest Passage — a cappella verses; quiet authority.
Rolling Down to Old Maui — long-form storytelling; everyone joins on the chorus.

Roughly 28 minutes at the printed tempos. Pair the second half of this set with the closing portion of the beginner set for a full 50-minute appearance.

Where the crew typically struggles

In our experience watching amateur shanty bands work these songs:

Barrett's Privateers — the lead loses the verse lyrics by verse 5. Print them, sing from paper. Six verses is a lot to memorise cold.
Northwest Passage — the a cappella verse goes flat by the third repetition. Drop the key by one semitone if it does.
Mary Ellen Carter — the dynamic build doesn't happen; every verse sounds the same. Plan it explicitly: V1 quiet, V2 slightly more, V3 medium, V4 strong, V5 strong, V6 roof.
Rolling Down to Old Maui — the band runs out of energy by verse 6. Pace yourselves.
Whiskey in the Jar — verse lyrics drift. Print them; sing from the paper.
Lukey's Boat — the "Aha me riddle-i-day" tag comes in late. Drill the crew response.
The Night Pat Murphy Died — verses get jumbled. The standard floating-verse approach helps — sing the verses you remember in any order.
Bully in the Alley — the band rushes. It needs to feel heavy, not fast.
Wild Mountain Thyme — the third-above harmony part drifts up to the fifth on the long held notes. Train ears to lock the third.
The Parting Glass — pitch drifts down by the end of verse 2. Assign one singer to hold the root, no exceptions.