Back in the 17th Century, when John Knox first set out to eradicate merriment in Scotland in the name of Enlightenment and Reformation, the pleasures of the flesh, or ‘houghmagandie’ as it was known then, were considered to be a great sin against the Almighty Himself. The only way to placate this most irritable of Gods was to force sinners, penitent or otherwise, onto a wooden platform called The Stool Of Repentance, or ‘ Cutty Stool’ for a good old dose of public humiliation. This is a song about winding up on’ the daft wee stool’ after a bout of houghmagandie and deciding it was worth every minute of it. The tune between the verses is a Border pipe tune called Salmon Tails Over The Stream.
G D A Bm D G
I’ve travelled east, I’ve travelled west and I’ve been south of the border
G D A Bm G D
Seldom sober, often drunk and sometimes out of order
D G D G D A
Sometimes I’ve been true to love and sometimes I’ve betrayed it
D G D A D
But when it’s time tae cop my whack then I’ve coughed up and paid it
D G
I swore by the light of the morning sun
D G A
My drinking days were over
A D G Bm
That very night I was back in town
D A D
Following the ways of a rover
When we toast for auld lang syne freens absent or departed
I’ll drink tae my ain true love though she was fickle hearted
And lay me doon wi’ another girl wi’ a heidfu’ o’ wine an’ brandy
Who gives a shite for the Cutty Stool, it’s hey for houghmagandie!
I was born and raised a pagan, you could call it my vocation
I hate your Christian morals wi’ your rules and regulations
Through the smoke of innocence like quaens we’ll reel and spin young girls
Doon the gorgeous avenue ye ca’ the path o’ sin
Chord Chart
Intro: Pipe Tune A Part
D / / / I D / / / I D / A / I D / G / I
D / / / I D / / / I D / A / I D / / / I
Verse:
G / / / I D / A / I Bm7 / / / I G / D / I
G / / / I D / A / I Bm7 / / / I G / D / I
D / / / I G / D / I G / D / I A / / / I
D / / / I G / D / I D / / / I A / D / I
Chorus:
D / / / I D / G / I D / / / I G / A / I
A / D / I G / Bm7 / I D / / / I A / D / I
Pipe Tune B Part
D / / / I G / / / I D / A / I D / G / I
D / / / I G / / / I D / A / I G / / / I
D / A / I G / D / I D / A / I D / G / I
D / / / I D / G / I D / A / I D / / / I
Playing tips
I do this one with the guitar tuned DADEAB, but DADGAD is very good too. There are two easy ways to play the Bm7 chord in DADGAD. One is down in the first position and it sits like this X24400. The other is up the neck at the 7th and 9th frets like this 990700. I like this one for the lovely ‘open’ sound with the hint of a jazzy 7th from the open 2nd string. Sometimes during the instrumental section I use an inversion of G that has B as the lowest note. In DADGAD that would be played like this – X20020 and is often called G/B. Your ear will tell you where it goes if you listen to it.
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