Up the Alley, Courting Sally

DESCRIPTION: "Where have you been, All this live-long day, Down the alley, courting Sally, Picking up cinders, breaking winders" Sometimes also "feeding monkeys, riding donkeys, chasing bull-dogs"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1892 (Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame)
KEYWORDS: courting playparty
FOUND IN: Australia Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame, pp. 403-404,442, "Up the Alley, Courting Sally" (3 texts)
Roud #16803
NOTES [95 words]: Sally has been in an alley with someone at least since Henry Carey (d. 1743) wrote "Sally in Our Alley," published in 1729 (source: Thomas Campbell, Specimens of the British Poets (Philadelphian, 1855 ("Digitized by Google")), pp. 498-499, "Sally In Our Alley" ), and at least as recently as Steeleye Span's "Senior Service" on "Sails of Silver" (BGO BGOCD371: "Sally's in the alley and Nancy's on the game, Emily is pregnant and wondering who is to blame"). The only thing these songs share is the alliteration (see also "Bully in the Alley" and "Shinbone Alley"). - BS
Last updated in version 2.6
File: OpGa403

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