The Flower of Scotland

Flower of Scotland (Flùir na h-Alba in Gaelic) is the unofficial national anthem of Scotland, a role for which it competes against the older Scotland the Brave and Scots Wha Hae. In common with other UK nations, Scotland has no official national anthem. Flower of Scotland was written by Roy Williamson of the folk group The Corries in 1966. The song refers to the victory of the Scots, led by King Robert the Bruce over the English King Edward II, at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

The song is a particular favourite of Scottish national rugby union team fans, who first adopted it for the Lions tour of South Africa in 1974. The last two lines of each verse are generally sung with particular ferocity, especially before games against England. The Scottish Football Association adopted Flower of Scotland as its official pre-game anthem in 1997 although it was first used by them in 1993, following the Scottish Rugby Union's example.

A public petition was presented to the Scottish Parliament in 2004 calling for another song to be selected instead ^*. However, one counter-argument is that Flower of Scotland is not backward looking at all, more an acceptance that those times are in the past, where they must remain, and that Scotland can go forth and develop into a forward-thinking, successful country in its own right.

The argument that the song is nationalist (in the political sense) also has little weight as there is no evidence that the Scottish National Party has capitalised on its popularity.

A more practical snag is that Flower of Scotland cannot accurately be played by bagpipes. The third last note is a flattened seventh, unplayable by bagpipes as the note is not within the bagpipe scale. In order to hit the correct note, a hole on the chanter has to be half-covered which is technically very difficult to achieve accurately and not within the normal conventions of bagpipe fingering. The tune was originally composed on the Northumbrian smallpipes, which play in F and have the benefit of keys on the chanter to achieve a greater range of notes.

The tune Highland Cathedral is seen by some, particularly within the sport of rugby, as a possible alternative^*. However, this tune lacks lyrics and was composed by a German, not a Scot, so to many would not be an ideal choice. For the present, the vast majority of Scots are happy to stick with Flower of Scotland - which after all, has captured the hearts of many Scots and would be a hard tune to replace.

Lyrics

Original

O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see
your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen.
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's army,
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.

The hills are bare now,
And autumn leaves
lie thick and still
O'er land that is now lost,
Which those so dearly held
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.

Those days are past now
And in the past
they must remain
But we can still rise now
And be the nation again!
That stood against him
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.

O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see
your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen.
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's army,
And sent him homeward
Tae think again.

Gaelic

O Fhlùir na h-Alba,
cuin a chì sinn
an seòrsa laoich
a sheas gu bàs 'son
am bileag feòir is fraoich,
a sheas an aghaidh
feachd uailleil Iomhair
's a ruaig e dhachaidh
air chaochladh smaoin?

Na cnuic tha lomnochd
's tha duilleach Foghair
mar bhrat air làr,
am fearann caillte
dan tug na seòid ud gràdh,
a sheas an aghaidh
feachd uailleil Iomhair
's a ruaig e dhachaigh
air chaochladh smaoin.

Tha 'n eachdraidh dùinte
ach air dìochuimhne
chan fheum i bhith,
is faodaidh sinn èirigh
gu bhith nar Rìoghachd a-rìs
a sheas an aghaidh
feachd uailleil Iomhair
's a ruaig e dhachaidh
air chaochladh smaoin.

O Fhlùir na h-Alba,
cuin a chì sinn
an seòrsa laoich
a sheas gu bàs 'son
am bileag feòir is fraoich,
a sheas an aghaidh
feachd uailleil Iomhair
's a ruaig e dhachaidh
air chaochladh smaoin?

Scots lyrics

O Flouer o' Scotland,
Whan will we see
Your like again,
That focht and dee'd for,
Your wee bit Hill an Glen,
An stuid agin him,
Prood Edward's Airmy,
An sent him hamewart,
Tae 'hink again.

The Hills is bare nou,
An Autumn leafs
Lies thick an still,
Ower land that is lost nou,
That thae sae dearly held,
That stuid agin him,
Prood Edward's Airmy,
An sent him hamewart,
Tae 'hink again.

Thir days is past nou,
An in the past
They maun remain,
But we can aye rise nou,
An be the nation again,
That stuid agin him,
Prood Edward's Airmy,
An sent him hamewart,
Tae 'hink again.

O Flouer o' Scotland,
Whan will we see
Your like again,
That focht an dee'd for,
Your wee bit Hill an Glen,
An stuid agin him,
Prood Edward's Airmy,
An sent him hamewart,
Tae 'hink again.

Notes

The technically correct, but rarely used, title of the song is The Flower of Scotland.

External links

National anthems | Patriotic songs | Scottish songs | Rugby union in Scotland | Songs popular at sporting events