WE CORNELLIANS
'We Cornellians'
Set to "Annie Lisle," a popular 1850s ballad, the Cornell alma mater is considered the most copied alma mater in the world. It was first adapted by Cornell students in the 1870s. It is not the first Cornell song, however – "Cornell (The soldier loves his gen'ral's fame)," still occasionally sung at Cornelliana Night, dates back to 1869 and is likely the oldest. The "Jennie McGraw Rag" (also known as "Cornell Changes"), played on the Cornell Chimes, also predates the alma mater.
This full-page panel from "We Cornellians," the 1940 illustrated look at Cornell University by then-undergraduate student Steve Barker '41 and published by the Cornell Cooperative Society, looks at Cornell songs.