Bully in the Alley
A staple of the shanty world, Bully in the Alley is a rowdy work song with roots deep in the docks and aboard the tall ships. Its origins are contested — some trace it to halyard shanties sung in the West Indies, others to the cotton-screwing gangs of the American South. Whatever its beginnings, by the time it was collected in 1914 it had long been a sailor’s favourite.
Our version captures its rough charm — a boozy, bawdy snapshot of a sailor’s life, swinging between hard graft and harder nights. It’s a song about wandering the alleyways with a drink in hand, falling in and out of trouble, and loving every moment of it.
Lyrics
Oh Sally is the girl in Shinbone Alley
Way, hey, bully in the alley
Sally is the girl that I spliced nearly
Bully down in Shinbone Al
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
I'll leave my Sal to go a-sailin'
Way, hey, bully in the alley
I'll leave that gal and go a-whalin'
Bully down in Shinbone Al
Chorus
I found my self out under three-oh
Way, hey, bully in the alley
I found my self with time so free-oh
Bully down in Shinbone Al
Chorus
I waltzed up to the Angel Inn oh
Way, hey, bully in the alley
I kicked down the door, and I walked right in-oh
Bully down in Shinbone Al
Chorus
I walked up to the bar room counter
Way, hey, bully in the alley
There I met with Greasy Anny
Bully down in Shinbone Al
Chorus
Greasy Anny is a slimy horror
Way, hey, bully in the alley
Every Shell Back's knocked on her door, oh
Bully down in Shinbone Al
Chorus
I bought her rum and I bought her gin, oh
Way, hey, bully in the alley
And bought her wine both white and red, oh
Bully down in Shinbone Al
Chorus
And when I'd spent all my tin, oh
Way, hey, bully in the alley
Up to bed, we then did creep oh
Bully down in Shinbone Al
Chorus x2
