Charles Ives - In the Alley

Copied!

On my way to work one summer day
Just off the main highway
Through a window in an alley
Smiled a lass, her name was Sally
O could it be!
O could it be she smiled on me!
All that day, before my eyes
Amidst the busy whirl
Came the image of that lovely Irish girl
And hopes would seem to rise
As the clouds rise in the skies
When I thought of her and those beaming eyes
So that evening, dressed up smart and neat
I wandered down her street
At the corner of the alley
Was another man with Sally
And my eyes grew dim
She smiles on him, only on him!

Release Date: January 01, 1922

SoundCloud:

edit soundcloud

YouTube:

edit video

Comments: 0

More Charles Ives lyrics

Charles Ives

edit foto

The meaning of the song

edit description

"Charles Ives - In the Alley" is a heartfelt song that tells the story of a chance encounter with a beautiful Irish girl named Sally in an alley. The protagonist is captivated by Sally's smile and spends the day daydreaming about her. Filled with hope and excitement, he decides to dress up and visit her on her street, only to find her with another man. The song captures the bittersweet feeling of unrequited love and the disappointment of realizing that Sally only has eyes for someone else. With its poignant lyrics and melancholic melody, "In the Alley" evokes the pain of unfulfilled longing and the fleeting nature of romantic possibilities.

Biography

edit bio

Arguably the first modernist composer, Charles Ives (1874-1954) was a solitary figure who composed in obscurity for most of his life. The son of a U.S. Army bandleader, Ives enjoyed a wildly successful career as an insurance executive. In his spare time, he composed music in a wide variety of genres that combined popular song, church hymns, military marches, and European art music in ways that used tone clusters, polytonality, and other techniques decades before they were adopted by European composers.