ID: 146
Date: 1870 - 1990
Title: The big ship sails
Gender: Male/Female 
Classification: Game 
Rhyme: 

The big ship sails down the ally,ally-O, 
The ally, ally-o, the ally, ally-o,
The big ship sails down the ally, ally-o,
On the last day of September. 

The captain said, "This will never, never do,
Never, never, do, never, never do."
The captain said, "This 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.

(NZ ex Yorkshire, 1940s, NZ ex Scotland, 1940s; NZ ex UK,1950s; Auckland, 1950s; Christchurch, 1970s; Rotorua, 1990s)

--
 
Background Info: Based on a traditional song that  involves forming a human chain and skipping under an arch, around and between two parallel lines, eventually all becoming tangled. (Personal informant)

==

Referred to by Sutton-Smith, 1959:24, as dating back to 1870 in Nelson and 1900s in Christchurch.

==

Became well known through the film "The Taste of Honey", 1961, and the recording by Frankie Vaughan "The Alley Alley Oh", 1964. Details in Opie,1985:50-54.

==
 
Keywords: traditional game 
Location: Various NZ 
Group size: 20 
Incidence: 6