Lyrics
Bully in the Alley
Halyard Shanty
Traditional
Chorus:
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’
Well, Sally is the girl that I love dearly
Way, hey, bully in the alley
Sally is the girl that I’d splice nearly
Bully down in Shinbone Al’ (Chorus)
For seven long years I courted Sally
All she did was dilly-dally (Chorus)
I bought her silks, I bought her laces
I took her out to all the fine places (Chorus)
Well, I’ll leave Sal and I−ll be a sailor
I’ll leave Sal and ship aboard a whaler (Chorus)
When I get back I’ll marry Sally
We’ll have kids and count them by the tally (Chorus)
WHERE TO FIND IT
Song Notes
Maritime music aficionados and video game players all know this song. Virtually every maritime band in the genre has recorded it or has a video of them doing it. It has shown up as a “collectible sea shanty” in the Assassin’s Creed video game. It is noted to be a halyard shanty, but most groups just have fun with it – we do!
To be “bully” is to be happy drunk, but perhaps too drunk to keep up with your mates who want to press on to the next place, so they stash you in an alley until they can come pick you up on their way back to the ship.
And “Shinbone Alley”? There are a bunch of places that people think it might have been (New York City, Staten Island, the Caribbean), but maybe it lies wherever it needs to be.