Where was the Alley-Alley-O?

Could 'Alley alley oh' be a form of allez, allez en? Often nursery rhymes have evolved from other times, other places. We always sang 'through' in my part of Scotland.

I was singing this in my head all yesterday evening!

I always thought the Alley-o was a little back alley that kids played in, pretending it was the sea. Remember that song so well!

We sang ‘on’ too.
We always finished with The dogs in the kennels go wow wow wow . . .
On the last day of September

Sparklefizz

I was singing this in my head all yesterday evening!

Me too!! Sorry!! That's the trouble with DGC and nursery rhymes. I have been plagued by " I love to sail in my big blue boat" for days, even though I had never heard it until a few days ago. Oh no!!!!! It's back in my head again!!!

Sparklefizz

I was singing this in my head all yesterday evening!

Me too! It's annoying, especially as I can't skip any more 😀

And how many of you remember joining hands in the playground and passing under each other while you sang it?

On a recent thread where people were remembering playground games, I described that game, but I seem to have been the only one who remembered playing it like that.

Sparklefizz - just got back to this thread. In answer to your question yesterday, I grew up in Guildford, too.

www.gransnet.com/forums/chat/1320518-Playground-games?msgid=29871673#29871673

Someone told me it was about the River Allier which flows through Vichy in France where it becomes big due to the river being damned further upstream.
From your explanations, mine is probably rubbish

Septimia

Sparklefizz - just got back to this thread. In answer to your question yesterday, I grew up in Guildford, too.

I've sent you a pm.

Here in St.Andrews , we sang The big ship sailed on the Eely Ally o .

I sang ‘on the Illey-Alley-O, in Kent.

I always thought the river was in S America, because I had a book of rhymes which was illustrated with a map of that continent with the Pacific and Atlantic oceans each side.

And how many of you remember joining hands in the playground and passing under each other while you sang it

We played it like this in Liverpool - late 1940s - early 1950s. One child (usually the tallest) would put thair hand against a wall yp make an arch so the "loose" end could pass through. When you had all wound up completely you would unwind again. There did not seem much point to the game. It was definitely a girls' game. I dont ever remember the boys ever playing it. They rode bikes and kicked footballs.

Dammed not damned* how annoying is autocorrect.

Never heard of this, so asked Mum ( aged 80) and she said oh yes, loved playing this and sang the big ship sailed through the Alley Alley O, but had no idea where this song and game came from, it could be really old.

Grandmabatty

Could 'Alley alley oh' be a form of allez, allez en? Often nursery rhymes have evolved from other times, other places. We always sang 'through' in my part of Scotland.

I bet you’re right with this idea, and it’s French.

We sang on the Illey Alley O. On google someone suggests that Irish children called the sea the Illey Alley O
Some sources claim it is about the Armada.