The Corries – The Portree Kid (Guitar Live)

Am                                 C               Em    
A man cam' riding oot the west one wild and stormy day

Am                             C                      Em
He was tail, quiet and hungry, his eyes were smokey grey

Am                                      C                   Am
He was lean across the hurdies, but his shouders they were big 

F                                                     Am
The terror o' the hielan' glens that was the Portree Kid

        C        Am
He drum ho he drum hey                                     

    F                           Am
The teuchter that cam' frae Skye

Am                                 C             Em        
His sidekick was an orra' man, and oh but he was mean

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He was ca'ad the Midnight Ploughboy, and he cam' frae Aberdeen

Am                                 C               Am
He had twenty seven notches on his cromack so they say

F                                                Am
And he killed a million indians, way up in Stornoway

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Portree booted in the door, he sauntered tae the bar

Am                               C               Em    (      Em )
He poured a shot o' Crabbies, he shouted Slainte Mhath (Slangevar)

Am                                       C                    Am
While Midnight was being chatted up by a bar room girl called Pam

F                                                   Am
Who said 'Well how-dy stranger, wad' ye buy's a Babycham'

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Now over in the corner sat three men frae Auchtertool

Am                                      C                 Em
They were playing games for money, in a snakes and ladder school

Am                                    C               Am
The fourth man was a southerner who'd come up from Macmerry

F                                             Am
He'd been a river gambler on the Ballachulish Ferry

        C          Am                                      
He drum ho he drum hey

    F                       Am
The teuchter that cam' frae Skye

Am                                  C                 Em   
Portree walked tae the table and he shouted 'Shake me in'

Am                             C              Em
He shoogled on the eggcup, he gave the dice a spin

Am                                    C               Am
He threw seven sixes in a row and the game was nearly done

F                                                     Am
But then he landed on a snake, and finished on square one

Am                              C              Em          
The game was nearly over and Portree was doing fine

Am                          C               Em
He'd landed on a ladder, he was up to forty nine

Am                                 C            Am
He only had but one to go and the other man was beat

F                                                            Am
But the gambler cowped the board over, and shouted 'You're a cheat'

Am                                     C                  Em    
Men dived behind the rubber plants, to try and save their skins

Am                                    C                      Em
The accordionist stopped playing, his sidekick dropped the spoons

Am                                 C                   Am
He says 'I think its funny, you've been up that ladder twice

F                                                     Am
And ye ayeways dunt the table, when I go tae throw my dice'

        C         Am                                         
He drum ho he drum hey

    F                       Am
The teuchter that cam' frae Skye

Am                                  C                 Em     
The gambler drew his Sgian Dubh, as fast as lightning speed

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Portree grabbed a screwtop, he cracked him o'er the heid

Am                            C                Am
Then he gave him laldy, wi' a salmon off the wall

F                                                           Am
And he finished off the business wi' his lucky grousefoot's claw

Am                                 C                 Em      
Portree walked up tae the bar, he says 'I'll hae a half

Am                                 C                 Em
And d'ye like the way I stuck it on that wee Macmerry nyaff

Am                                  C                        Am
But the southerner crept up behind. his features wracked wi' pain

F                                                       Am
And he gubbed him wi' an ashtray, made oot o' a curling stane

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The fight went raging on all night till opening time next day

Am                               C                Em
Wi' a break for soup and stovies aff a coronation tray

Am                                   C                 Am
It was getting kind o' obvious. that neither man would win

F                                                                  Am
When came the shout that stopped it all 'There's a bus trip coming in'

        C         Am                                          
He drum ho he drum hey 

    F                      Am
The teuchter that cam' frae Skye

Am                                    C          Em           
They sing this song in Galashiels and up by Peterheid

Am                        C             Em
Way down o'er the border. across the Rio Tweed

Am                                    C                 Am
About what became o Portree, Midnight and the Gambling Man

F                                                   Am
They opened up a gift shop. selling fresh air in a can

        C          Am                                         
He drum ho he drum hey

    F                       Am
The teuchter that cam' frae Skye