Sea shanties (or chanties) are songs sung by sailors to keep them synchronized (and mentally interested) while doing the hard labor of sailing. "Paddy Lay Back" is a capstan shanty, a capstan being a vertically-axled rotating machine used to raise and lower a ship's anchor. Sailors would rotate the capstan by pushing poles radiating from it, with three or four men working a pole. The song would help them keep momentum; if not, something could slip. Not only would the anchor drop uncontrolled, bu...