A[Em]man came riding oot the west one [Bm]wild and stormy day
He was [Em]tall and quiet and hungry his [Bm]eyes were
smoky grey
He was [Em]lean across the hurdies but his [Bm]shoulders they were [Em]big
The [Am]terror of the hielan'
glens that [Em]was the [Bm]Portree [Em]kid
Chorus: He drum [Bm]ho, he drum [Em]hey, The [Am]teuchter that cam frae [Em]Skye.
His [Em]sidekick was an orra’man, and [Bm]oh but he was mean
He was [Em]ca’ed the midnight plough
boy, and he [Bm]came frae Aberdeen
He had [Em]twenty seven notches on his [Bm]cromak so they [Em]say
And he [Am]killed
a million Indians, way [Em]up in [Bm]Storno[Em]way
[Em]Portree booted in the door he [Bm]sauntered tae the bar
He [Em]poured a shot o crabbies he [Bm]shouted Slàinte
Mhat (Slangevar)
While [Em]midnight was being chatted up by a [Bm]bar room girl called [Em]Pam
Who [Am]said well howdy
– stranger, wad ye [Em]buy's a [Bm]baby[Em]cham
Now [Em]over in the corner sat three [Bm]men frae Auchertool
They were [Em]playing games for money in a [Bm]snakes
and ladder school
The [Em]fourth man was a southerner who’d [Bm]come up from Mac[Em]merry
He'd [Am]been a river
gambler on the [Em]Balla[Bm]chulish [Em]Ferry
Chrous: He drum [Bm]ho, he drum [Em]hey, The [Am]teuchter that cam frae [Em]Skye.
Portree [Em]walked up to the table and he [Bm]shouted 'Shake me in'
He [Em]shoogled on the egg cup, he [Bm]gave
the dice a spin
He [Em]threw seven sixes in a row and the [Bm]game was nearly [Em]done
But he [Am]landed on a snake,
and [Em]finished [Bm]on square [Em]one
The [Em]game was nearly over and Por[Bm]tree was doing fine
He’d [Em]landed on a ladder, he was [Bm]up to
forty-nine
He [Em]only had but one to go and the [Bm]other man was [Em]beat
But the [Am]gambler couped the board up,
and [Em]shouted [Bm]"you're a [Em]cheat"
Men [Em]dived behind the rubber plants to [Bm]try and save their skins
The [Em]accordionist stopped playing, his
[Bm]sidekick dropped the spoons
He [Em]says "I think its funny, you’ve been [Bm]up the ladder [Em]twice,
And
ye [Am]always dunt the table, when I’m [Em]going to [Bm]throw the [Em]dice"
Chorus: He drum [Bm]ho, he drum [Em]hey, The [Am]teuchter that cam frae [Em]Skye.
The [Em]gambler drew his Skian Dubh as [Bm]fast as lightening speed
Por[Em]tree grabbed a screwtop and [Bm]cracked
him O the heid
Then he [Em]gave him laldy wi’ a [Bm]salmon off the [Em]wall
And he [Am]finished off the business,
wi’ his[Em] lucky [Bm]grousefoot's [Em]claw
Portree [Em]walked up to the bar, he [Bm]says "I’ll hae a half"
And d’ye [Em]like the way I stuck
it on that [Bm]wee Macmerry nyaff
But the [Em]Southerner crept up behind his [Bm]features wracked wi’ [Em]pain
And
[Am]gubbed him wi' an ashtray made [Em]oot [Bm]o' a curling [Em]stane
The [Em]fight went raging on all night till [Bm]opening time next day
Wi’ a [Em]break for soup and stovies
aff a [Bm]coronation tray
It was [Em]getting kind o' obvious, that [Bm]neither man would [Em]win
When [Am]came the
shout that stopped it all "there’s a [Em]bus trip [Bm]comin [Em]in"
Chorus: He drum [Bm]ho, he drum [Em]hey, The [Am]teuchter that cam frae [Em]Skye.
They [Em]sing this song in Galashiels and [Bm]up to Peterheid
Way [Em]down o’er the borders a[Bm]cross the
Rio Tweed
About [Em]what became O’Portree, Midnight [Bm]and the gamblin' [Em]man,
They [Am]opened up a gift
shop selling [Em]fresh air [Bm]in a [Em]can
Chorus: He drum [Bm]ho, he drum [Em]hey, The [Am]teuchter that cam frae [Em]Skye.
