This group's original name was Fisherman's Friends; their first album with … Read Full Bio ↴This group's original name was Fisherman's Friends; their first album with Universal, Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends, was recorded in St Kew Parish Church, Cornwall, and released in April 2010

The group can usually be heard singing on Friday evenings throughout the summer on the Platt in wonderful Port Isaac.

Fisherman's Friends are John, Julian and Jeremy Brown, Trevor Grills, John Lethbridge, Billy Hawkins, Nigel Sherratt, Peter Rowe, John McDonnell and Jon Cleave.

Fisherman's Friends, from Port Isaac on the North Cornwall coast, have secured a deal – said to be worth £1 million – with Universal, the company behind acts such as Lady Gaga, Take That and Amy Winehouse

The 10-strong group, which also has a date at this year's Glastonbury Festival, will issue an album of traditional tunes and folk songs next month after being discovered by a record producer on holiday.

Fisherman’s Friends are shanty singers--each of whom are or have been fishermen, lifeboatmen and coastguards (as well as builders, artisans, hoteliers, and shop keepers) in the local area--from Port Isaac on Cornwall’s rugged north coast.

At around eight in the evening during the summer months, tourists and locals gather to hear this ten-man group sing a rousing set of shanties and Cornish folk songs. This album, recorded in a 15th-century church in nearby St Kew, features a rich haul of 12 songs from their Port Isaac repertoire, including the classic "South Australia", the haunting Cornish robber ballad "The Cadgwith Anthem" and the beautiful "Brightly Beams".

In February 2013 Trevor Gills and tour manager Paul McMullen were both killed in a tragic accident while touring.

Bully In The Alley
Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well sally is the girl that comes from our alley,
Way hey, bully in the alley,
Sally is the girl from shinbone alley,
Bully on the shinbone now
So help me bully in the alley
Way hey bully in the alley
Help me bully in the alley
Bully on the shinbone now

Well I've got some leave year so I'll go and see my sally,
Way hey, bully in the alley
I'll throw her a line make fast in her alley
Bully on the shinbone now
So help me bully in the alley
Way hey bully in the alley
Help me bully in the alley
Bully on the shinbone now

Well I've made damn sure for I'm tied up at her quay
Way hey bully in the alley
She told me that the story was just for me
Bully on the shinbone now
So help me bully in the alley
Way hey bully in the alley
Help me bully in the alley
Bully on the shinbone now

Well its time to leave so I'm gonna slip my cable
Way hey bully in the alley
I go to see my sally as often as I'm able
Bully on the shinbone now
So help me bully in the alley
Way hey bully in the alley

Help me bully in the alley
Bully on the shinbone now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends's folk song "Bully in the Alley" tell a story of a man named who is in love with a girl named Sally from his alley. He sings of throwing her a line in her alleyway, meaning he will visit her often, and making sure he is tied up at her quay, meaning he will stay with her for a while. The use of the word "bully" in the song is likely a reference to sailors who would chant and sing as they worked together on their ships, with "bully" meaning "good" or "great". The chorus of "Way hey, bully in the alley" is a common refrain in sea shanties.

The song speaks to the longing and excitement of a lover visiting his sweetheart. The use of nautical terms, such as "quay" and "cable", adds to the song's sincerity, as the supposed lover is a sailor or a fisherman. The repetition of the phrase "Bully on the shinbone now" adds an element of playfulness to the song and emphasizes the song's catchy nature.

Line by Line Meaning

Well sally is the girl that comes from our alley,
In our alley there is a girl named Sally,

Way hey, bully in the alley,
A chant of enthusiasm for the story being told.

Sally is the girl from shinbone alley,
Sally is from a nearby place called shinbone alley.

Bully on the shinbone now
An expression suggesting a positive attitude toward shinbone alley.

So help me bully in the alley
A request for support and shared enthusiasm for shinbone alley.

I've got some leave year so I'll go and see my sally,
I have some free time to visit Sally.

I'll throw her a line make fast in her alley
I will call her and make plans to meet up with her.

Well I've made damn sure for I'm tied up at her quay
I made sure that my arrival at her location is known to her.

She told me that the story was just for me
She shared a story specifically with me.

Its time to leave so I'm gonna slip my cable
It's time for me to head home and I will be discreet in doing so.

I go to see my sally as often as I'm able
I try to visit Sally whenever possible.

Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, BILLY HAWKINS, CHRISTOPHER JOHN LETHBRIDGE, JEREMY BROWN, JEREMY DAVID BROWN, JOHN BROWN, JOHN LETHBRIDGE, JOHN MCDONNELL, JOHN ANTHONY BROWN, JOHN LEONARD MCDONNELL, JOHNATHAN CLEAVE, JONATHAN ROBERT CLEAVE, JULIAN BROWN, JULIAN NICHOLAS BRO

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