Shinbone Alley

“Bully in the Alley” is a traditional halyard shanty built for hard, coordinated pulls, with a chorus that sends the singer straight down to Shinbone Alley. The song was collected in the early 20th century and later associated with Black and West Indian maritime singing traditions. “Shinbone Alley” itself appears in older African American song material as well, and the name was used in more than one Atlantic port—so it is better understood as part of a broader waterfront world than as one confidently identifiable street.

Our Shinbone Alley design imagines that world after the ship is tied up: sailors ashore, drinks flowing, music playing, and Sally somewhere in the middle of the trouble. It’s a tribute to the rowdy portside life behind one of the tradition’s great call-and-response choruses—a little romance, a little mischief, and probably one sailor who needs help finding his way back aboard.

• 100% cotton
• Sport Grey is 90% cotton, 10% polyester
• Ash Grey is 99% cotton, 1% polyester
• Heather colors are 50% cotton, 50% polyester
• Fabric weight: 5.0–5.3 oz/yd² (170-180 g/m²)
• Open-end yarn
• Tubular fabric
• Taped neck and shoulders
• Double seam at sleeves and bottom hem
• Blank product sourced from Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Mexico

Disclaimers: 
• Due to the fabric properties, the White color variant may appear off-white rather than bright white.
• Dark color speckles throughout the fabric are expected for the color Natural.

Size guide