False information

🤔
Curious.

Is that the false information?

The Titanic was launched and sank in April - not on the last day of September.

Is it just me who's confused here?

MissInterpreted

Is it just me who's confused here?

I often think am I stupid when nonsensical posts like this come up.

In Lancashire it was a children's clapping song, we would play it in the school playground, my old dad said it was about the big ships sailing down the Manchester ship canal to the Atlantic, and that the big ships had to go before winter when cold weather caused problems so they needed to sail before the last day of September.
That's my take on it anyway.

Babs03 - yes I’m a Lancashire clapping song girl, we usually played skipping ropes or hop scotch as we chanted and clapped. Yours is the best spin I can out on the OP

Iam64

Babs03 - yes I’m a Lancashire clapping song girl, we usually played skipping ropes or hop scotch as we chanted and clapped. Yours is the best spin I can out on the OP

Thanks. Those were happy days when we clapped and sang, sadly I think that tradition has died. My old dad was in the merchant navy during the war so knew a thing or two about the sea. I think he would have known if the Titanic was involved.

MissInterpreted

Is it just me who's confused here?

Nope 😂😂😂😂😂

I remember playing this as a child in the playground.

We once went on a day trip from school on the Manchester Ship Canal- that's how poor we were lol!

There are a whole lot of ideas on the origin of this nursery rhyme, from those who just think it is a child's nonsense song, to those suggesting connections with the Manchester Ship Canal, Panama canal, others suggest that 'ally ally oh, is derived from the French 'allez' and the big ship is going, going (away).

I can see no reason why it should refer to the Titanic. The Titanic was built in Belfast and sailed from Southampton. It never went anywhere near the Manchester hip canal.

My money is on it probably being a nonsense rhyme made up by children and that all the various 'explanations' are just adults trying to explain things after the event.

We skipped to this song as well at school.

The big ship sails through the Alley alley Oh (through, not across).

The big ship sails,
Through the alley, alley oh.
The alley, alley oh
The alley, alley oh.
The big ship sails,
Through the alley, alley oh.
On the last day of September.

The captain says,
"It will never, never do,
Never, never do,
Never, never do."
The captain says,
"It will never, never do",
On the last day of September.

The big ship sank,
To the bottom of the sea,
The bottom of the sea,
The bottom of the sea.
The big ship sank,
To the bottom of the sea,
On the last day of September.

We all dip our heads,
In the deep blue sea,
The deep blue sea,
The deep blue sea.
We all dip our heads,
In the deep blue sea,
On the last day of September.

The version in the part of London where I grew up was:

The big ship sails down
The illy alley oh etc.
On the first day of September

Where is all this leading? What has this to do with false information? Why did I join this thread?

I m totally bemused ??

I think the version I grew up with was practically the same as Allira's except our big ship sailed on the alley alley oh. (Essex)

Ignore the OP, this is a great thread

I’m surprised Whingey hasn’t come back to explain.

MissInterpreted

Is it just me who's confused here?

I like to think I'm reasonably intelligent but, try as I might, I can't come up with anything except "Whaaat the....?"

Georgesgran

I’m surprised Whingey hasn’t come back to explain.

Ah, a lightbulb moment for me. I used to use the Quora website until I realised that some people get paid to submit a certain number of posts. Many of the posts made no sense at all ("Why didn't the UK/Canada/Australia help the US in WW2?" -- that kind of thing). So now, the lightbulb pings on.

We just sang the first verse.

Google claims its what Babssaid.

I cant recall seeing skipping and skipping ropes in primary playgrounds now, they still have lots of running around games - is hopscotch still a "thing"?

Oh I’m more confused now - Quora?

We sang the same skipping song in Yorkshire too but only the first and third verses, never heard the other two.

The Big Ship Sails on the Alley-Alley-O is a traditional singing circle game with actions which is great fun for a group of children to sing together.
This was sung in many English playgrounds in the 1950’s and 60’s and the Alley-O refers to the Manchester Ship Canal, Liverpool Docks and the Atlantic Ocean. This canal is often referred to as the gateways of to the Atlantic.

www.letsplaykidsmusic.com/big-ship-sails-on-the-alley-alley-o/

I always assumed the "alley, alley oh" was referring to the back alleys where so many children used to play years ago!

Well I am going to add to the confusion! My dear Mum used to talk about a poem, something about “China-going P & O’s” I searched and searched the internet because at first I thought it was “Ocean-going P & O’s” but eventually found the poem which was written by Rudyard Kipling! I think it might also have something to do with another of his quirky poems “The Crab that played by the Sea”. Some of these old poems used to fascinate me as a child. One in particular was “The Land of Counterpane” by Robert Louis Stevenson, which I found very poignant. I can also remember various songs and rhymes we would chant as children, usually when skipping. Happy days!