The Haughs o Cromdale Guitar Chords And Lyrics
For a Scottish folk Song. This one tells of the battle at the end of April 1689. The battle was part of the Jacobite rising. The Jacobites were defeated and over 400 were killed. Tom Livingston was in charge of the English garrison and lost 100 men. History of the battle here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cromdale The video is by The Corries. The sheet music and tin whistle notes are included.
Back to all the Corries folk songs with chords .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cromdale The video is by The Corries. The sheet music and tin whistle notes are included.
Back to all the Corries folk songs with chords .
[Am]As A cam in by [Em]Auchendoun
A [Am]little wee bit [G]frae the toun
[Am]Whan tae the Hielans [Em]A was bound
Tae [G]view the haughs o [Am]Cromdale
[Am]A met a man in [Em]tartan trews
An [Am]speired at him whit [G]was the news
Quo [Am]he, "the Hielan [Em]army rues
That [G]ere we cam [Am]tae Cromdale"
[
"We were in bed sir, every man
Whan the English host upon us cam
A bluidy battle then began
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
The English horse, thae were sae rude
Thae bathed their hooves in Hielan bluid
But our brave clans thae bauldly stood
Upon the haughs of Cromdale"
"But alas we could nae langer stay
Out ower the hills we cam away
An sair we did lament the day
That ere we cam tae Cromdale"
Thus the great Montrose did say
"John Hielanman show me the way
An A will ower the hills this day
Tae view the haughs o Cromdale"
Thae were at dinner every man
Whan the great Montrose upon thaim cam
Anither battle then began
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
The Grant, Mackenzie an Mackay
As sune as great Montrose thae spied
It's then thae focht richt manfully
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
Macdonalds thae returned again
The Camerons did thair standard jine
Mackintosh played a bluidy game
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
O fifty thousan Cromwell's men
Five hundert fled tae Aberdeen
The rest o thaim lie on the plain
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
A [Am]little wee bit [G]frae the toun
[Am]Whan tae the Hielans [Em]A was bound
Tae [G]view the haughs o [Am]Cromdale
[Am]A met a man in [Em]tartan trews
An [Am]speired at him whit [G]was the news
Quo [Am]he, "the Hielan [Em]army rues
That [G]ere we cam [Am]tae Cromdale"
[
"We were in bed sir, every man
Whan the English host upon us cam
A bluidy battle then began
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
The English horse, thae were sae rude
Thae bathed their hooves in Hielan bluid
But our brave clans thae bauldly stood
Upon the haughs of Cromdale"
"But alas we could nae langer stay
Out ower the hills we cam away
An sair we did lament the day
That ere we cam tae Cromdale"
Thus the great Montrose did say
"John Hielanman show me the way
An A will ower the hills this day
Tae view the haughs o Cromdale"
Thae were at dinner every man
Whan the great Montrose upon thaim cam
Anither battle then began
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
The Grant, Mackenzie an Mackay
As sune as great Montrose thae spied
It's then thae focht richt manfully
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
Macdonalds thae returned again
The Camerons did thair standard jine
Mackintosh played a bluidy game
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
O fifty thousan Cromwell's men
Five hundert fled tae Aberdeen
The rest o thaim lie on the plain
Upon the haughs o Cromdale
“The Haughs of Cromdale” is a stirring Jacobite ballad with a march-like 6/8 rhythm
— strong, lilting, and storytelling. Below you’ll find a full strumming pattern
and fingerpicking tab in Am (A minor) to fit your verses beautifully.
🎵 The Haughs of Cromdale — in A Minor
Traditional Scottish
Tuning: Standard (EADGBE)
Tempo: ~88 BPM (Scottish 6/8 march feel)
Time Signature: 6/8 (counted as “ONE-two-three, FOUR-five-six”)
🎸 1. Lyrics with Chords
[Am]As A cam in by [Em]Auchendoun
A [Am]little wee bit [G]frae the toun
[Am]Whan tae the Hielans [Em]A was bound
Tae [G]view the haughs o [Am]Cromdale
[Am]A met a man in [Em]tartan trews
An [Am]speired at him whit [G]was the news
Quo [Am]he, "the Hielan [Em]army rues
That [G]ere we cam [Am]tae Cromdale"
🎸 2. Strumming Pattern (6/8 Highland March Feel)
For a strong, rolling march rhythm:
↓ ↓↑ ↓↑
Count: 1 2 3 4 5 6
or broken down:
(Bass) Down-Up Down-Up
How to play:
Beat 1: Emphasize bass note (thumb or pick)
Beats 2–3 and 5–6: Gentle down-up strum
Keep a swinging 6/8 feel — not rushed, but flowing like bagpipe rhythm.
Example for Am chord:
Bass note on 5th string → soft down-up (2–3) → light down-up (5–6)
🎶 3. Fingerpicking Tab (for All Verses)
We’ll use a rolling arpeggio pattern that fits the 6/8 feel:
T – I – M – T – I – M
(Thumb on bass, Index on G string, Middle on B string)
Let each note ring — the rhythm should roll like the melody of pipes.
Verse 1 Fingerpicking Example
Am
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---1-----|------1---1-----|
G|----2---2---2---|----2---2---2---|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|
A|--0-------------|--0-------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
As A cam in by Auchendoun
Em
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---0-----|------0---0-----|
G|----0---0---0---|----0---0---0---|
D|--2-------------|--2-------------|
A|--2-------------|--2-------------|
E|--0-------------|--0-------------|
A little wee bit frae the toun
Am G
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---1-----|------1---1-----|------0---0-----|------0---0-----|
G|----2---2---2---|----2---2---2---|----0---0---0---|----0---0---0---|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|--2-------------|
E|----------------|----------------|--3-------------|--3-------------|
Whan tae the Hielans A was bound Tae view the haughs o Cromdale
Am Em
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---1-----|------1---1-----|------0---0-----|------0---0-----|
G|----2---2---2---|----2---2---2---|----0---0---0---|----0---0---0---|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--2-------------|--2-------------|
A|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|--2-------------|
E|----------------|----------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
A met a man in tartan trews An speired at him whit was the news
Am G Am
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---1-----|------0---0-----|------1---1-----|------1---1-----|
G|----2---2---2---|----0---0---0---|----2---2---2---|----2---2---2---|
D|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|
A|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
E|----------------|--3-------------|----------------|----------------|
Quo he, "the Hielan army rues That ere we cam tae Cromdale"
💡 Performance Tips
🎵 Feel:
Keep it steady, strong, and proud — this is a march, not a lullaby.
Emphasize beat 1 slightly to give that Highland rhythm.
🎵 Bass Alternation (for realism):
Am: alternate 5th → 4th string
Em: alternate 6th → 4th string
G: alternate 6th → 4th string
🎵 Ornament Ideas (Scottish Style):
Hammer-on in Am: A string 0→2 before strumming
Slide into G: A string 2→3
Add brief grace notes on D string for a bagpipe-like feel.
🎵 Optional Ending (slow arpeggio):
e|--0-----------|
B|----1---------|
G|------2-------|
D|--------2-----|
A|--0-----------|
E|--------------|
Let it ring out naturally.
— strong, lilting, and storytelling. Below you’ll find a full strumming pattern
and fingerpicking tab in Am (A minor) to fit your verses beautifully.
🎵 The Haughs of Cromdale — in A Minor
Traditional Scottish
Tuning: Standard (EADGBE)
Tempo: ~88 BPM (Scottish 6/8 march feel)
Time Signature: 6/8 (counted as “ONE-two-three, FOUR-five-six”)
🎸 1. Lyrics with Chords
[Am]As A cam in by [Em]Auchendoun
A [Am]little wee bit [G]frae the toun
[Am]Whan tae the Hielans [Em]A was bound
Tae [G]view the haughs o [Am]Cromdale
[Am]A met a man in [Em]tartan trews
An [Am]speired at him whit [G]was the news
Quo [Am]he, "the Hielan [Em]army rues
That [G]ere we cam [Am]tae Cromdale"
🎸 2. Strumming Pattern (6/8 Highland March Feel)
For a strong, rolling march rhythm:
↓ ↓↑ ↓↑
Count: 1 2 3 4 5 6
or broken down:
(Bass) Down-Up Down-Up
How to play:
Beat 1: Emphasize bass note (thumb or pick)
Beats 2–3 and 5–6: Gentle down-up strum
Keep a swinging 6/8 feel — not rushed, but flowing like bagpipe rhythm.
Example for Am chord:
Bass note on 5th string → soft down-up (2–3) → light down-up (5–6)
🎶 3. Fingerpicking Tab (for All Verses)
We’ll use a rolling arpeggio pattern that fits the 6/8 feel:
T – I – M – T – I – M
(Thumb on bass, Index on G string, Middle on B string)
Let each note ring — the rhythm should roll like the melody of pipes.
Verse 1 Fingerpicking Example
Am
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---1-----|------1---1-----|
G|----2---2---2---|----2---2---2---|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|
A|--0-------------|--0-------------|
E|----------------|----------------|
As A cam in by Auchendoun
Em
e|----------------|----------------|
B|------0---0-----|------0---0-----|
G|----0---0---0---|----0---0---0---|
D|--2-------------|--2-------------|
A|--2-------------|--2-------------|
E|--0-------------|--0-------------|
A little wee bit frae the toun
Am G
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---1-----|------1---1-----|------0---0-----|------0---0-----|
G|----2---2---2---|----2---2---2---|----0---0---0---|----0---0---0---|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|
A|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|--2-------------|
E|----------------|----------------|--3-------------|--3-------------|
Whan tae the Hielans A was bound Tae view the haughs o Cromdale
Am Em
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---1-----|------1---1-----|------0---0-----|------0---0-----|
G|----2---2---2---|----2---2---2---|----0---0---0---|----0---0---0---|
D|--------2-------|--------2-------|--2-------------|--2-------------|
A|--0-------------|--0-------------|--2-------------|--2-------------|
E|----------------|----------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
A met a man in tartan trews An speired at him whit was the news
Am G Am
e|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|------1---1-----|------0---0-----|------1---1-----|------1---1-----|
G|----2---2---2---|----0---0---0---|----2---2---2---|----2---2---2---|
D|--------2-------|--------0-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|
A|--0-------------|--2-------------|--0-------------|--0-------------|
E|----------------|--3-------------|----------------|----------------|
Quo he, "the Hielan army rues That ere we cam tae Cromdale"
💡 Performance Tips
🎵 Feel:
Keep it steady, strong, and proud — this is a march, not a lullaby.
Emphasize beat 1 slightly to give that Highland rhythm.
🎵 Bass Alternation (for realism):
Am: alternate 5th → 4th string
Em: alternate 6th → 4th string
G: alternate 6th → 4th string
🎵 Ornament Ideas (Scottish Style):
Hammer-on in Am: A string 0→2 before strumming
Slide into G: A string 2→3
Add brief grace notes on D string for a bagpipe-like feel.
🎵 Optional Ending (slow arpeggio):
e|--0-----------|
B|----1---------|
G|------2-------|
D|--------2-----|
A|--0-----------|
E|--------------|
Let it ring out naturally.
Here's the guitar chords in the key of Gm
[Gm]As A cam in by [Dm]Auchendoun
A [Gm]little wee bit [F]frae the toun
[Gm]Whan tae the Hielans [Dm]A was bound
Tae [F]view the haughs o [Gm]Cromdale
[Gm]A met a man in [Dm]tartan trews
An [Gm]speired at him whit [F]was the news
Quo [Gm]he, "the Hielan [Dm]army rues
That [F]ere we cam [Gm]tae Cromdale"
[Gm]As A cam in by [Dm]Auchendoun
A [Gm]little wee bit [F]frae the toun
[Gm]Whan tae the Hielans [Dm]A was bound
Tae [F]view the haughs o [Gm]Cromdale
[Gm]A met a man in [Dm]tartan trews
An [Gm]speired at him whit [F]was the news
Quo [Gm]he, "the Hielan [Dm]army rues
That [F]ere we cam [Gm]tae Cromdale"
Sheet Music In The Key Of G Major For The Haughs O'Cromdale
