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Traditional Celtic Music, Scottish Songs & Border Ballads
Scots' musician, songwriter, & balladeer.
Hazel Whyte
Scots' Music
The Portree Kid
A simple brief
thought on Scottish
Independance.

Were the outdated
union not of some very
high value to England and
the English, why would
they fight so to try to
keep it?

There are only so many
slices to a pie, for one to
have more, another must
have less.

Lastly - to those Scottish
"Loyalists" - to whom are
you loyal?
Scots royalty died in the
1700's so it can be no
Scots crown - And
certainly not it appears to
those who came before,
that bled for Scotland
and her freedom !  
In the words
of Burns, as he
wrote from the heart.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victorie.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.

Wha would be a traitor-knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a Slave?
Let him turn and flie:

Wha for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Free-man stand, or free-man fa',
Let him follow me.

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do - or Die!!!

Choose your destiny.

A man came riding oot the west one wild and stormy day
He was tall and quiet and hungry his eyes were smoky grey
He was lean across the hurdies but his shoulders they were
big
The terror of the hielan' glens that was the Portree kid

His sidekick was an orra’ man, and O but he was mean
He was ca’ed the midnight plough boy, and he came frae
He had twenty seven notches on his cromak so they say
And killed a million Indians, way up in Stornoway

He drum ho, he drum hey
The teuchter that camfrae Skye.

Portree booted in the door he sauntered tae the bar
He poured a shot o crabbies he shouted "Slangevar"
While midnight was being chatted up by a bar room girl
called Pam
Who said well howdy- stranger, wad ye buy's a babycham

Now over in the corner sat three men frae Auchertool
They were playing games for money in a snakes and ladder
school
The fourth man was a southerner who’d come up from
Macmerry
He'd been a river gambler om the Ballachulish Ferry

Chorus

Portree walked up to the table and he shouted 'Shake me in'
He shoogled on the egg cup, he gave the dice a spin
He threw seven sixes in a row and the game was nearly
done
But he landed on a snake, and landed on square one

The game was nearly over and Portree was doing fine
He’d landed on a ladder, he was up to forty-nine
He only had but one to go and the other man was beat
But the gambler couped the board up, and shouted "you're
a cheat"
Chorus.

Men dived behind the rubber plants to try and save their
skins
The accordionist stopped playing, his sidekick dropped the
spoons
He says "I think its funny, you’ve been up the ladder twice,
And ye always dunt the table, when I’m going to throw the
dice"

The gambler drew his Skian Dubh as fast as lightening
speed
Portree grabbed a screwtop and cracked him O the heid
Then he gave him laldy wi’ a salmon off the wall
And he finished off the business, wi’ his lucky grousefoot's
claw

Chorus

Portree walked up to the bar, he says "I’ll hae a half"
And d’ye like the way I stuck it on that wee Macmerry nyaff
But the Southerner crept up behind his features wracked
wi’ pain
And gubbed him wi' an ashtray made oot o' a curling stane

The fight went raging on all night till opening time next day
Wi’ a break for soup and stovies aff a coronation tray
It was getting kind o' obvious, that neither man would win
When came the shout that stopped it all "there’s a bus trip
comin in"

Chorus

They sing this song in Galashiels and up to Peterheid
Way down oter the borders across the Rio Tweed
About what became O’Portree, Midnight and the gamblin'
man,
They opened up a gift shop seUing fresh air in a can

Chorus
Tab/Sheet Music
As Available