Annotation:Cheer Up Sam

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 CHEER UP SAM. English, American; Jig. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. A song air and country dance, originally American, popularized in the mid-19th century by Christy's Minstrels. It may or may not have been employed as a capstan shanty aboard sailing ships. Lyrics begin: ''Oh! down in Alabama, '' Before I was set free,  I loved a dark eyed yellow girl,  And thought that she loved me; But she has proved inconstant, And left me here to tell  The sorrow that my heart feels For deceitful Sarah Bell. CHORUS. ''Cheer up Sam! now don't let your spirits go down '' For there's many a belle,  That we know well,  Is looking for you in the town. Printed source: Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; p. 127. Westrop (120 Country Dances, Jigs, Reels, Hornpipes, Strathspeys, Spanish Waltz etc. for the Violin), c. 1923; No. 20.

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