The Big Ship Sails on the Alley-Alley-O
Late 19th Century 
UK/ Ireland Lyrics
The Ally Ally Oh,
The Ally Ally Oh,
The big ship sails on the Ally Ally Oh,
On the last day of September.
The Captain said it will never, never do,
Never, never do,
Never, never do,
The Captain said 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 hands in the deep blue sea
The deep blue sea, the deep blue sea
We all dip our hands in the deep blue sea
On the last day of September.
History and Meaning
"The Big Ship Sails on the Alley Alley O" is a traditional English children's singing game, popular in playgrounds since at least the 1950s. The prevalent theory links the rhyme to the Manchester Ship Canal, a monumental engineering project built between 1887 and 1894 that enabled large ocean-going vessels to travel directly to Manchester, transforming the city into an inland port. The song may have originated as a mocking song created by Liverpool residents who were displeased that Manchester gained direct access to the sea, bypassing Liverpool's established port. The phrase "Alley Alley O" has been interpreted as referring to the Manchester Ship Canal, the Liverpool Docks, and the Atlantic Ocean, with the canal seen as a "gateway to the Atlantic." The consistent lyric "On the last day of September" may relate to shipping contracts and deadlines, while the verses about the ship sinking were likely later additions as the original historical context faded.