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Subject: Bully in the Alley From: Jon Baade Date: 19 Jul 97 - 08:57 PM I have the chorus and a couple of verses to it, (namely Oh, Sally is a girl down in our alley.... and I'll leave me Sal to go a whalin...) does anyone know any others? Thanks for the info, Jon Messages from multiple threads combined. click for lyrics in the Digital Tradition |
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Subject: RE: Bully in the Alley From: hartley Date: 19 Jul 97 - 11:35 PM There is an old English song called Sally in Our Alley, about a girl who comes in from the country and now remains. Is this a corruption? |
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Subject: RE: Bully in the Alley From: Bill D Date: 20 Jul 97 - 12:49 AM Its in the database There are only a couple verses..it was a short haul chanty, and didn't need but a couple... |
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Subject: RE: Bully in the Alley From: Jon Baade Date: 20 Jul 97 - 08:42 PM Bill, Thanks for the info. I was curious if anyone knew/heard any others (even though it was a short haul shanty) kindof like with 'Drunken Sailor' where I've heard about a hundred different verses that people have heard or made up (I guess they all were made up after all...). Just curious. Thanks again for the info. Jon |
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Subject: RE: Bully in the Alley From: dick greenhaus Date: 20 Jul 97 - 09:01 PM I've heard transplants from several other shanties used: "Up aloft this yard must go.....Mr. Maitland told us so" "Rock and shake 'er, one more drag...Oh bend your duds and pack your bag"
As Stan Hugill quoted: "..improvisation was the thing"
By the way, Drunken Sailor was a stamp and go shanty, |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BULLY IN THE ALLEY (Nola Johnston) From: alanww Date: 26 Feb 01 - 12:19 PM Has anyone got more lyrics than these, which I got from http://www.delweb.com/andrew/shanty/lyrics/bully.html :- "as sung by Nola Johnston at the VFSS shanty workshop, Nov 30, 1988 1 So help me Bob, I'm bully in the alleyThe Mudcat version misses out the repeated verse 3, as does Hugill. Thanks Alanww
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Sorcha Date: 26 Feb 01 - 12:45 PM A few more here. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C Date: 26 Feb 01 - 01:27 PM I managed to shoehorn in one of Malvina Reynold's verses from "Sally Don't You Grieve" for a last verse: I'll be back when the moon shines brightly, Way, hey, bully in the alley, If she's gone 'twill serve me rightly, Bully down in Shinbone Al! One good Sally deserves another! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: treaties1 Date: 26 Feb 01 - 08:15 PM Sally is the girl that I see clearly |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BULLY IN THE ALLEY(Oysterband) From: Big Tim Date: 27 Feb 01 - 04:51 AM Don't know this Bully in the Alley but could it be related to the song of the same name by the Oysterband and included on their album Step Outside (1986), a great "folk-punk" album with, ironically, Bully being probably my least favourite track. Written by Ian Telfer and Johnny Jones of the band, This is what they told him; BULLY IN THE ALLEY(Oysterband) (Ian Telfer and Johnny Jones) Go down if you must but don't stay long You're a fool if you trust the kids you play among Better look sharp on your way home son There's a bully in the alley wants to spoil your fun So be ready night and day Stand up for your right of way There's a bully in the alley and he'll do his worst There's a bully in the alley won't fear your curse There's a bully in the alley Get your boot in first That's what they told him If you want to win nothing's really wrong You're a fool if you trust the men you deal among Better look out for Number One Or he'll do you down just to see you run So be ready night and day, stand up for your right of way There's a bully in the alley...... Out in the darkness he lies in wait On each knuckle "hate" and "hate" What you sow is what reap And the bully in the alley never sleeps For liberty we must be strong You're a fool if you trust this world we live among Now look sharp till the fight is won There's a bully in the alley with a bigger gun There's a bully in the alley........ |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: alanww Date: 27 Feb 01 - 07:35 AM Thanks for the info everyone. I'll certainly use the extra verses suggested! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C Date: 27 Feb 01 - 08:39 AM The members of the Oysterband may have been inspired by the traditional Bully in the Alley chorus to write their own song; we have all advanced theories on just what the expression "I'm bully in the alley" means, and the general consensus seems to be some kind of sailor-ashore brawl. I wrote another variation of Tom Lewis' 4th verse which may be of interest for those who can't leave traditional songs alone: So goodbye, Sal, I'm gonna be a sailor, Way, hey, bully in the alley, Packed me gear and signed aboard a whaler, Bully down in Shinbone Al. So how many Shinbone Alleys have people found on waterfront maps? We have at least one here in Maine, in the old seaport town of Wiscasset. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Bat Goddess Date: 27 Feb 01 - 09:22 AM On the David Parry tape (with Friends of Fiddler's Green), David Parry sang some Civil War verses: Well I shipped on board of the Robert E. Lee, boys, Way, hey, bully in the alley Made a lot of money, spent it fast and free, boys, Bully down in Shinbone Al'. Chorus We got British ammunition and French champagne, oh Way, hey, bully in the alley When I get to Charleston, gonna feel no pain, oh Bully down in Shinbone Al'. Chorus It's one of those classics that a skillful shanty singer could make go on as long as needed. Bat Goddess Well I shipped on board of a Charleston liner Way, hey, bully in the alley Carolina's fine, but St. George is finer. Bully down in Shinbone Al'. Chorus
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Roll& Go-C Date: 27 Feb 01 - 11:48 AM BG, we've run across references to Civil War verses before from a San Francisco contact. Do you have any clue whether the verses are traditional, or "new" to the tradition? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: MAG (inactive) Date: 27 Feb 01 - 12:03 PM I thought it was pretty well agreed the phrase meant passed out drunk in the alley? Help me back to the ship, etc. No? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C Date: 27 Feb 01 - 01:00 PM MAG, an equally logical interpretation. "So help me,Bob" does seem to have been common London dockside slang for "So help me, God", which was the way I once sang the chorus when I was stressed; the rest of Roll&Go's members were highly amused. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Bat Goddess Date: 27 Feb 01 - 02:38 PM The only reference I have (that I know of; haven't had time to check written sources) to the Civil War verses is in the liner notes attribution of "trad", but then again, they also attributed "Crossing the Water" as trad when it was written by Bill Staines. I'll keep looking. (Though car searching is taking up a bit of time right now.) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Bill D Date: 27 Feb 01 - 06:46 PM when you are just singing, it can be nice to have more than 2 or 3 verses, but "Bully in the Alley" was a 'short haul' chanty, used for short, intensive jobs, and didn't come with extras. As we see, a few people have added some that seem to be 'in the tradition', but it started out as with only the three, with one switched to 'chorus' as it became a performed song instead of just a work song. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C Date: 16 Mar 01 - 03:27 PM For those who would like to follow up on the Civil War verses, I just find the card to the singer I ran into at the Sea Music Festival at the Mystic Marine Museum: A. Thomas Murphy: e-mail: tmurphy@ryno.com |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Mr Red Date: 16 Mar 01 - 07:11 PM Verse variation sung at the Somers TFC Fri Albion Inn Worcester UK Sally is the girl that I love dearly etc Sally is the girl I spliced nearly |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Mark Cohen Date: 17 Mar 01 - 06:58 PM Pardon the thread creep, but didn't Si Kahn write "Crossing the Water?" Aloha, Mark |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C Date: 17 Mar 01 - 07:07 PM Apparently not, Mark. At least Bill Staines sings it on his CD (GOING TO THE WEST) and Bill seldom sings anything by anyone else. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Mark Cohen Date: 17 Mar 01 - 07:13 PM Ah, I see, two different songs, same name.... |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C Date: 17 Mar 01 - 07:17 PM Yes, as we say in Maine, it's the same difference! |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BULLY IN THE ALLEY / LOST AND GIVEN OVER From: Charley Noble Date: 31 Dec 01 - 04:52 PM Another miscellaneous reference to "Bully in the Alley" can be found, in all places, in an Australian nautical poem called "Lost and Given Over" by E. J. Brady (1869-1952) in The Penguin Book of Australian Ballads, edited by Russel Ward. The final verse runs: The Hoogli gal 'er face is brown, The Hilo gal's a daisy, The gal that lives by 'Obart town She'd drive a dead man crazy; So, pretty and plain, it's Sarah Jane 'Uggin' and kissin' an' "Come again!" Sing rally, ri-a-rally! The seas is deep; the seas is wide; But this I'll prove what else betide, I'm bully in the alley, Ho! Bull-ee in the Al-lee! |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BULLY IN THE ALLEY (Blue Murder) From: GUEST,Desdemona Date: 31 Dec 01 - 04:58 PM This is pretty close to the way that Blue Murder sings it:
CHORUS:
Well, Sally is the girl down that I love dearly, CHORUS
For seven long years I courted Sally, CHORUS
I'll leave Sal and I'll become a sailor, CHORUS
I'll come back and I'll marry Sally, |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,mgarvey@pacifier.com Date: 31 Dec 01 - 08:37 PM Bob Kotta sang the definitive version....mg |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Dead Horse Date: 01 Jan 02 - 04:19 AM All verses from *Sally Brown* is what I usually sing (or as many as I can remember at the time) Hugill gives it as a halyard shanty, derived from cotton-screwing, so improvisation was the order. With such a good chorus, I should think it could be used for any job - including pumps and capstan. Several other shanties verses would also fit. I suspect that where only a few verses were given to any shanty, that it doesn't mean only a few verses were sung, only that THOSE verses were the ones usually sung, and that innumerable variations existed. They weren't written down as each shanty-man had his own preference. Try lines from Shenendoah, or even the Codfish Shanty. In fact, if you add or subtract the "grand chorus" there aint many shanties wot don't fit. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Charley Noble Date: 01 Jan 02 - 11:47 AM I suppose the point I was making with the old Australia poem above had to do with the "traditional" meaning of the expression "I'm bully in the alley" which I used to think meant alcoholically impaired. I'm now more inclined to think it meant "I'm one fierce fellow and if you know what's good for you, you better start running." The verses that one now finds are a fairly eclectic bunch as one might expect, none of which seem to fit the bellicose interpretation of "I'm bully in the alley" I'm now assuming. Maybe, I need to rake up a new set of verses. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Charley Noble Date: 02 Jan 02 - 01:08 PM Three times around spun this gallant ship! Refresh! |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: ChanteyMatt Date: 02 Jan 02 - 02:04 PM "Twas my thought the song was from Jamaca and was used as a rowing shanty/chantey. I've put a calypso beat to it and it works wonderfully well. Any thoughts? |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Melani Date: 03 Jan 02 - 12:33 AM Gordon Bok recored a song called "Crossing the Water" which he says was written by Joanne Davis. Is that a third one? |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BULLY IN THE ALLEY From: breezy Date: 03 Jan 02 - 06:53 PM V1 Sally am de gal way down our alley way hay Sally am de gal that I spliced nearly bully down CH Help me Bob I'm bully in the alley way hey I'm Bully in the alley Help me Bob i'm bully in the alley, Bully down in shinbone al V2 I left my Sal to go a-sailing way I left my Sal to go a-whaling [wailing]! bully V3 I found meslf down on the quay-o way Found meself with time so free-o Bully V4 Waltzed up to the angel inn-o way Kicked the door I waltzed right in -o V5 Waltzed up to the baroom counter there I met with greasey Annie V6 Greasey Annie is a slimey whore-o Every shellback's knocked on her door -o V7 I bought her gin I bought he rum -o Bought her wine both red and white -o V8 When I'ld spent all my tin -o Offto bed we then did creep-o V9 All night long we tossed and tumbled Dawn did come and cocks! did crow-o V10 repeat verse the second to finish, great audience participation number and rarely sung, but very catchy, I enjoy it with driving guitar which makes it appeal to a wider audience but I cut the guitar towards the end until it is sung as it is meant to be with indefinite choruses until I sense it's gone on long enough!!!! hope I got the linebreaaks all in, cos I am, bye. P.S. Friday 18th January 2002 Silver Cup F.C. Harpenden, Herts Eng. we'll do it. Main guest Mick Pearce [M'boro'],does great songs inc D.Miles |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Charley Noble Date: 03 Jan 02 - 08:04 PM Breezy - where did you find those verses? The first ones are fairly standard but I'm not familar with the later ones; they do sound like they fit more with a boasting, rambunctious "bully in the alley" which is what I've been looking for. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Nerd Date: 04 Jan 02 - 12:01 AM I've heard it essentially as Desdemona gives it, but with a couple extra verses: I bought her silks and fancy laces |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BULLY IN THE ALLEY From: Abby Sale Date: 17 Jun 02 - 09:03 PM At Mystic, a fine, new-to-me group from Michigan yclept 'Hoolie' sang mostly Lakers' songs (of which most of us only know "Red Iron Ore" but there's plenty of them) but also a rousing pumping chantey: 'bully' = drunkBULLY IN THE ALLEY 'bob' generally means more-or-less God & maybe from 'Babe' as in "So help me, Jesus" -- an oath, not as in asking Bob for help.] They turned v.1 to a chorus & added three more verses to make it a Still, has anyone any other traditional verses for this? There are a The only older recording I've located so far (thanks to Jane Keefer) are (Mary-t-F adds that the Clam Chowder was reissued on the CD Spindrift, 1999. I don't usually think of Hellen Schneyer as a chantey singer, but there Would Any have additional words (or tune) from these records or from any I thank you. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Celtic Soul Date: 17 Jun 02 - 09:18 PM Waiting and watching.... This is one of my all time favorite questions as well. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Eric Yuhas (of Shipping News) Date: 17 Jun 02 - 09:42 PM Funny that this thread should appear now... This is one of my favorites to sing. My main complaint has been "Its too bloody short!" I tried writing a couple verses, but they sounded just like that: written by an amateur. So I started listening and stealing... From Ken Shatz of NexTradition, I got: For five long years I courted Sally, And from Ian Robb, at this year's Mystic Fest, I nicked: Shipped on board o' the Robert E. Lee, boys (I had my pad with me and wrote fast--I had heard him do it a while ago and only managed to memorize the first.) I don't know if any of these verses are traditional, but they sure are fun to sing--I managed to debut them at the pub sing after the Songs of Sail Fest in Kenneybunk on Saturday--no one seemed to mind. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Abby Sale Date: 17 Jun 02 - 09:45 PM Ah, there was a good prior thread. I'll go there, I guess. The search thing didn't bring it up. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Abby Sale Date: 17 Jun 02 - 09:55 PM As I was saying, I'm looking for any documented trad sources for this. I can't get those three extra commonly sung verses ('For seven long years,' 'I'll leave Sal' and 'I thought I heard') back further than Tom Lewis. I too wish breezy had expanded. As to the Civil War aspect, I found the following: Re chanteys that may have been sung during the Civil War, per Music In The Confederate Navy, by John Townley. Presented at the 10th Annual Mystic Seaport Museum Maritime Music Symposium, June 10, 1989. Posted at http://hmi.homewood.net/alabama.html A really good candidate, however, is "Bully In The Alley," the chorus of which mentions Shinbone Alley, the heart of sailortown in St. George's, Bermuda. He offers good logic but not evidence. Any other ideas?
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Charley Noble Date: 18 Jun 02 - 08:44 AM "Shinbone Alley" seems to be a generic term that surfaces in many "sailortowns" including those in the West Indies. We still have one in Wiscasset, Maine, of all places. I first heard Jeff Warner and Jeff Davis sing a slow version of this song at the Lunenburg Folk Harbor Festival, Nova Scotia, in the early 1990's and then became enamored with the faster paced version done by the Seattle based Victory Sings Songs of the Sea collective. I'll ask Jeff W. where he got his version the next time I run into him at the Press Room. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: CET Date: 18 Jun 02 - 06:10 PM I sang this at a session held in the Community Centre, Stromness, Orkney during the Orkney Folk Festival on the last Sunday in May. In fact, I decided to do this song largely because this thread had kept the song in my mind. This session will always stay in my mind because I had the pleasure of sitting next to Fergus O'Byrne, late of Ryan's Fancy, and hearing him sing harmony with me. Edmund |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Charley Noble Date: 19 Jun 02 - 09:14 AM In reviewing this thread, including my own comments as "Guest Roll & Go-C," I would most like to find out where Breezy (see above) came up with his interesting verses, which I've never run across before. They are unique in terms of fitting in with a true "bully" in the alley, rather than the usual added verses about some frustrated young man fleeing to sea because Sally won't settle down. Any one got a lead on Breezy? Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Charley Noble Date: 19 Jun 02 - 11:32 AM I just sent a PM to Breezy. Hope he responds with the goods. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Bat Goddess Date: 19 Jun 02 - 05:34 PM Eric -- Note I posted the Civil War words from David Parry's tape (Ian Robb was part of Friends of Fiddler's Green) much earlier in this thread. But I was really glad to hear you sing them the other night in the Kennebunk Inn pub! (Glad you could take such quick & accurate notes at Mystic!) Linn |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST,Eric Yuhas Date: 19 Jun 02 - 10:29 PM Hi, Linn, glad you liked it! Yes, I see those verses from the earlier post now. When I first posted to this thread the previous thread had not been added on yet. I love Dave Parry--I had a cd of his once--actually it was my ex's--you know how THAT goes! That pub sing was a great end to a great festival, wasn't it? -Eric |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: Bob Bolton Date: 19 Jun 02 - 11:47 PM G'day, Charley Noble: "... a true "bully" in the alley ..." The discussions above seem to miss the meaning that I take, from common British useage, where "bully" (initially as an adjective, but that can be used as a noun, omitting the subject) means "very good", or "first rate". He is saying that he is top dog in Shinbone Alley ... ? It certainly sounds more like a boastful sailor's view of life on shore leave. Regards, Bob Bolton |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: bully in the ally From: GUEST,Melani Date: 15 Oct 02 - 01:49 PM "Bully of the Town" doesn't seem to be the same song as "Bully in the Alley", which as I understand it is a rowing chantey. DT has both, but here are some more verses to "Bully in the Alley": Cho: So help me, Bob, I'm bully in the alley, Way, hey, bully in the alley, Help me, Bob, I'm bully in the alley, Bully down in Shinbone Al. Sally is the girl that I love dearly, Way, hey, bully in the alley; Sally is the girl that I splice nearly, Bully down in Shinbone Al. For seven long years I courted Sally, All she did was dilly-dally. I bought her silks, I bought her laces, Took her out to all of the places. So I'll leave Sal and I'll be a sailor, I'll leave Sal and ship aboard a whaler. When I get home, I'll marry Sally, We'll have kids and count 'em by the tally. I shipped on board of the Robert E. Lee, boys; Made a lot of money, spent it fast and free, boys. Got British ammunition and French champagne; When I get to Charleston, gonna feel no pain. I shipped on board of a Charleston liner; Carolina's fine, but St. George is finer. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: GUEST Date: 04 Jan 03 - 12:20 PM I am interested in the version sung in Blue Murder. I've tried to write it down, but there can be mistakes and I can't get the words of a stanza. English is not my mother language. Can somebody help me in finding the complete and correct text as sung in Blue Murder? Thank you. Roberto This is what I could get: So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Bully down in Shinbone Al Well, Sally is a girl that I loved dearly Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley Well, Sally is the girl that I spliced nearly Bully down in Shinbone Al So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Bully down in Shinbone Al When I get to Saint Lou, I'm gonna steer by my Sally Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley I'll throw her a line and make fast in our alley Bully down in Shinbone Al So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Bully down in Shinbone Al (…) When it's time to leave, I'm gonna slip my cable Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley Gonna visit my Sal as often as I'm able Bully down in Shinbone Al So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Bully down in Shinbone Al I'm gonna leave my Sal and go out a-sailing Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley Gonna leave my gal and go out a-whaling Bully down in Shinbone Al So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Way-ay, ay-ay, bully in the alley, So! Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley Bully down in Shinbone Al |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bully in the Alley From: breezy Date: 04 Jan 03 - 12:34 PM I think their version ,and tune is less appealing than the one I posted. Its certainly scant as opposed to scanning. Have you ever considered why they call themselves 'B M' is it 'cos they can get away with it? When Martin comes to our club I'll ask him. He'll be in St Albans on Fri 12th December.Please let me have your questions in good time. If anyone sees him first please ask him and report back. |
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