Annotation:Grandmammy Look at Uncle Sam
X:1 T:Granny take a Look at Uncle Sam S:J.P. Fraley (Rush, Kentucky) M:C| L:1/8 D:Rounder 0037, J.P. Fraley - Wild Rose of the Mountain (1973) F:https://www.slippery-hill.com/recording/granny-take-look-uncle-sam-0 Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:Ador (G,2|:A,4)-A,2A,A,|A,B,CA, EA3|A,G,A,B, CB,CA,|EAGF ECA,A,| A,2A,C A,2CA,|A,CCD EA2A|ea2b aba(f|1g)fed ^cA3:|2 gfed ^cAce|| K:Amix e(a3{_a}=a3)a|baef g2ef|[M:3/2]gfga bgag edcd| "*"ea2b a2a2|e(f/g/ a)a a2a2|baef g2ef|gfga bgag|[M:3/2]edcd ea2b a2|| [M:5/4]+slide+[A4A4][Ac][AA] BcAB|[M:C|]cAcB AcBA|[M:6/4]EG2F GFED CCEC| [M:C|]EA2B A2+slide+[A2A2]-|[A2A2]cA BcAB|cAcB AcBA|[M:3/2][G2A2][GA][AA] [GA][FA][EA][DA] CA,C[CE]| [M:C|]EA2B A2+slide+[A2A2]-|[A2A2]cA BcAB|cAcB AcBA|[M:3/2][G2A2][GA][AA] [GA][FA][EA][DA] CA,C[CE]| EA2B A2+slide+[A2A2]-|[A2A2]cA BcAB|cAcB AcBA|[M:3/2][G3A3]([AA] [GA])[FA][EA][DA] C2EC|[M:C|]EA2B A2z2|| P:Substitutions |"*"Ace=g a3a|
GRANDMAMMY LOOK AT UNCLE SAM. AKA - "Granny Look at Uncle Sam," "Grandma Take a Look at Uncle Sam," "Run Here Granny Take a Look at Uncle Sam" (Ed Hayley's title). American, Reel (2/4 or cut time). USA, West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, Tennessee. A Dorian/Mixolydian/Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCC. The tonality keeps shifting between the minor and major throughout the tune, and some versions are 'crooked' (irregular bars). Fiddler John Hartford remarked, "Gene Goforth and us have been playing this old tune for years ever since we heard Howdy Forrester play it on a record with a minor chord progression. We did not play the [Ed. minor?] melody but played major chords instead." The following ditty was sung to the tune:
Run here Grandmammy, look at (Uncle) Sam,
He's soppin' all the gravey and eatin' all the ham.
According to Clay County, West Virginia, fiddler Wilson Douglas (1922-1999), influential east Kentucky fiddler Ed Hayley (1885-1951) played this tune, calling it by the above ditty lines.
