Or Dol Li A indeed - see here and the Northumbrian Minstrelsy &c. A fond old favourite, and all the more since decamping to Lancashire, where as an ex-pat Geordie I sing it with pride. I've even used to melody for one of Ron Baxter's songs which we'll be doing it as part of the Wrecks & Rescues show at the Fylde Festival this year (Saturday afternoon in The Mount; a date for your diaries - all star cast - Spitting on a Roast, Ross Campbell & - er - me...).

Otherwise, the song is about the Sandgate whores on Newcastle's quayside, and, in my experience, the chorus is generally pronounced doley rather than dolly, which always used to raise a smile on impoverished Tyneside. Dillen Doll I would think is a whore, without good reason I might add, but that's just how I've thought of it over the years in the context of the song, with Dolly Coxon pawning her sark to become a camp follower...