DESCRIPTION:
The origins of this song are somewhat mixed but general consensus seems to imply links to The Manchester Ship Canal, Liverpool Docks and The Atlantic Ocean. The Canal is often referred to as the gateway to the Atlantic. There are some suggestions that the song was sung at the Opening of the canal in 1894. The word 'Alley' could refer to the canal as a passage (Entry's in Salford were called Back Alley's) but it could also be the Alley as in Atlantic,the O being for Ocean or merely a child's addition in song. The song was also used for a children's game involving movement. The song was also sung in a Rita Tushingham /Dora Bryan film set in Manchester called 'A Taste of Honey'. The instrumental middle features the Tune 'Portsmouth' which I included because of it's Nautical connection.