Help Me Bob! I’m Bully in the Alley!

One of the best songs on the Rogue’s Gallery CD is called “Bully in the Alley.” Its a sea chantey, but I wasn’t too sure what it was about. It features what sounds like a drunken sailor singing poorly about some dirty whore named Sally.

Some research finds that being “Bully in the Alley” was sailor slang for being so drunk that your friends had to ditch you somewhere safe while they went out for more drinks. The place to be ditched was usually in an alley somewhere. So you become incapacitated or “bully.” Your sailor friends were supposed to come back on the way to the ship and drag your sorry butt with them.

One of the most famous streets or alleys was Shinbone Alley in Bermuda. There was a Groggery on that street where many a sailor had to crawl back to the ship on their hands and knees because they got so wasted there, giving it the name of “Shinbone Alley.”

So the lyrics to the song are supposed to be:

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 down that I love dearly,
Way, hey, bully in the alley!
Sally is the girl that I spliced nearly.
Bully down in shinbone al!

For seven long years I courted Sally,
Way, hey, bully in the alley!
All she did was dilly-dally.
Bully down in shinbone al!

I’ll leave Sal and I’ll become a sailor,
Way, hey, bully in the alley!
I’ll leave Sal and ship aboard a whaler.
Bully down in shinbone al!

I’ll come back and I’ll marry Sally,
Way, hey, bully in the alley!
We’ll have kids and count them by the tally.
Bully down in shinbone al!

You can hear part of the song here.