Annotation:Love and Lager Beer
X:1 T:Love and Lager Beer M:2/4 L:1/8 R:Reel B:Elias Howe – Musician’s Omnibus No. 1 (1863, p. 47) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:C e/f/|gg dd|e>f gf/d/|cB/c/ dc/d/|e^f/g/ de/=f/| gg dd|e>f gf/d/|ce/c/ GA/B/|ccc|| e/f/|gg af/d/|e>e fd/B/|cc B/c/d/e/|d/e/^f/g/ Ge/=f/| gg af/d/|ee fd/B/|c/e/d/f/ e/g/^f/a/|ggg|| (3G,/A,/B,/|C>EG>B|c3 d/e/|ff ee|d/c/B/A/ G/F/E/D/| C>E G>A|c3 d/e/|f/e/d/c/ B/c/d/B/|ccc|| CD/E/ F/G/A/B/|c/B/c/d/ cd/e/|f/g/a/g/ f/e/d/c/|B/c/d/e/ G/F/E/D/| CD/E/ F/G/A/B/|c/B/c/d/ cd/e/|f/e/d/c/ B/c/d/B/|ccc||
LOVE AND LAGER BEER. American, Air or Country Dance (2/4 time). C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCD. Boston publisher Elias Howe prints directions for a contra dance along with the tune. The piece may once have been a song. This verse appears in poet and lyricist Leontine Stanfield's Book of Verse (New York, 1906, p. 53):
Now the thing we call love is like lager beer,
Only good when it's fresth on tap, I fear.
Out of cut glass and silver of course it's nice,
If you can afford it and have the price;
But you'll find any day when your purse is small,
That from pewter it's better than no beer at all.
The one thing important, and this is no 'con',
Is to get your drink quick, while the thirst is on.
