Scissor Man

(Partridge)

chalk_small.gif
ear_dnw.gif Recordings
Art
Lyrics
Chords and Tablature

Recordings

  1. Album version, 3'59.
    Released on Drums and Wires.

  2. BBC version (Peel Session), 4'20.
    Recorded for “Top Gear with John Peel” on 8 October 1979 at BBC Studio Maida Vale 4.
    Produced by Tony Wilson. Engineered by David Dade.
    First broadcast on 15 October 1979 on “Top Gear with John Peel”, BBC Radio 1.
    Released by arrangement with BBC Records with thanks to John Peel.
    Released on 10 October 1980 as the B-side of the bonus single included with the Towers of London doublepack 7" single in the U.K.

    Andy: “A live version of the song on Drums And Wires and I think better than the one on the album.”

  3. Live version.
    Mixed by XTC and Jeremy Allom.
    Recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, May 1981.
    Released on 19 September 1983 as "Cut It Out", a B-side to the Love on a Farmboy's Wages 12" single in the U.K.

  4. Live version, 4'49.
    Released on BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert.
    Also available on Transistor Blast.

    Andy: “Set flangers to stun and duck the flaming meteorites heading our way from a version of ‘Scissor Man’ in danger of going dub nova. 78 r.p.m. vaudeville from Venus. We didn't improvise much on stage but when we did it went for the throat via your spinal column.”

Art

[THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

Lyrics

Snipping, snipping, snipping goes the scissor man
Putting end to evil doers games
Snipping, snipping, snipping goes the scissor man
Maybe you are in his book of names
Maybe you are in his book of names

So be kind and helpful to your mother
Just think twice before you try to steal
When he cuts with sticky silver snippers
You may find the wounds will never heal

All self made bad boys
If you refuse to believe he exist
You won't be frightened when you find out
You're on his list
You're on his list
You're on his list

So be good and never poison people
Just think twice before the deed is done
When you wake up guilty in the morning
You may find important pieces gone

© 1979 Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd.

Chords and Tablature

Date: Wed, 07 Apr 1999 15:23:17 +0100
From: Steve Cobham <steve (at) guitars dot powernet dot co dot uk>
Subject: "Scissorman" Tab.


Here as promised is the tab for the lead and rhythm parts for this
great song.

I would like it to be considered for inclusion in the Chalkhills Tab
Archive, please.

Cheers!

Steve.

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE--------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the#
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research.#
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------#

"Scissorman"  XTC

From "Drums And Wires"

I love this song. It's like a mini-opera. Fabulous Andy Partridge
lyrics, too.

This transcription was written with the help of Powertab98 - a great
tab-writing program.

Legend
------

h  = hammer-on
p  = pull-off
/  = slide up/down

Intro:

E|-------------------------------||-------------------||
B|-3---0---1---0-----------------||*-------0-------0-*||
G|-----------------2---4---0---4-||------0-------0----||
D|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---||--0-2-----2-0------||
A|-------------------------------||*-----------------*||
E|-------------------------------||-------------------||

"Snippin', snippin', snippin'........."

E|------------------------------------------------|
B|--3-0-1-0---0---0---0---0---0---3-0-1-0---0---0-|
G|--0-0-0-0-2---0-----------------0-0-0-0-2---0---|
D|------------------2---0---0---------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------|

"Evil doers' ways"

  Gtr 1                     Gtr 2
E|------------------------|---------------------|
B|---4-----4-----4-----4--|---------------------|
G|---3-----3-----3-----3--|---------------------|
D|1------1-----1-----1----|------10----8---10---|
A|------------------------|----6----6----6------|
E|------------------------|---------------------|

Above lead and rhythm play simultaneously

"Maybe you are in his book of names"

E||------------------------------------------------------------||
B||*----------------------------(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)---------------*||
G||-------5-------7--------------4-h-5---4-h-5-----------------||
D||-----5-------7----------------5---5---5---5-----------------||
A||*--6-----6-5------5----------------------------------------*||
E||---------------------3--------------------------------------||

"Nyow, nyow, nyow, nyow"

E|-------------------------------------------------|
B|----3-3h5p3---------- ------------3-3h5p3--------|
G|------------4----(0)-(0)-(0)-(0)----------4------|
D|--------------4---4-h-5---4-h-5-------------4----|
A|------------------5---5---5---5------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|

Bass guitar:

G|----------------------|
D|-----------0----------|
A|-------2--------------|
D|---5------------0-----|

The bass introduces the next section. Play the initial D chord below
with the first bottom D of the above bass line.

                              "All self-made bad boys"
   <----- play twice ------->                                *
E||----------------||----3---||----------------------------|------5------8--|-
B||*-3------------*||----3--*||-------Follow chord---------|----------------|-
G||--2--2-4-2-4-2--||----0---||-------sequence-------------|---/5----/10----|-
D||--0--0-0-0-0-0-*||----0---||-------below----------------|----------------|-
A||*---------------||-------*||----------------------------|----------------|-
E||----------------||-3------||----------------------------|----------------|-

Rhythm guitar chords  position of lead guitar licks shown with asterisks

               *(above)  **(below)
F | C | Am |F |%| C | A | A D | A D | A D

"You're on his list"

   **       (x4)  End run up
E||--5-7-5------||------------*|
B||*-5-----5-7-*||----4-5-6-7-*|
G||-------------||--7---------*|
D||-------------||------------*|
A||*-----------*||------------*|
E||-------------||------------*|

The end run up is a bit of a guess. I can't really hear what's played very
clearly, but it fits.

It could be played an octave lower:

E|--------------||
B|--------------||
G|--------------||
D|-0-1-2-3-4----||
A|--------------||
E|--------------||

There may be a harmony guitar in there as well, but I can't be sure
enough to tab it.

As for the dub section, just get the delay pedal out and have fun with it!

Hope this helps!

Transcribed by Steve Cobham.

Any comments, corrections, etc, please e-mail me.

steve (at) guitars dot powernet dot co dot uk
http://users.powernet.co.uk/guitars/



Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1998 18:11:25 -0700
From: Fred Hamilton <fred (at) yonkitime dot com>
Subject: "Scissor Man" tab (intro only)


I saw a special plea for "Scissor Man" tab on the Chalkhills site,
so I thought I'd get the ball rolling.  Here's the tab for the
intro.  Maybe this will inspire someone to figure out the next part?

-Fred

Scissor Man intro:

E-----------------------------------------------------------------
B----3---0---1---0-------0-------0--------------------------------
G--------------------2-------0------------------------------------
D------0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------------

E-----------------------------------------------------------------
B------0-------0-------0-------0----------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------------------
D--2-------0-------2-------0--------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------------------
E----3---3---3---3---3---3---3---3--------------------------------

Snipping snipping snipping...

G  Bm D
So be kind...

Go back to XTC Reel by Real.

25 March 2007 / Feedback