Flower of Scotland
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Flower of Scotland (The technically correct, but rarely used, title of the song is The Flower of Scotland[citation needed]) (Flùir na h-Alba in Gaelic) is an unofficial national anthem of Scotland, a role for which it competes against the older Scotland the Brave. 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. Usually only the first and third verses are sung, perhaps due to time constraints.
The introduction of Flower of Scotland was partly due to hostility amongst rugby and football fans toward the British national anthem God Save the Queen being used to represent Scotland, there being no other suitable anthem at the time. The song was popular amongst rugby supporters and was finally brought in as an unofficial anthem in response to God Save the Queen being continually drowned out by the ferocious booing and whistling of the Scotland supporters.
A public petition was presented to the Scottish Parliament in 2004 calling for another song to be selected instead [1]. However, one counter-argument is that Flower of Scotland is not backward looking at all, more an acceptance that "those days are past now, and in the past 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. However, Donnie Munro, the former lead singer of Scottish rock band Runrig, has refused to sing the third verse when leading the audience on a rendition of Flower of Scotland, due to his British unionist views. This led to the third verse being dropped in favour of the second verse. Controversial at the time, it was reinstated later when Ronnie Browne of The Corries led the audience, as he had done many times prior to that.
A more practical snag is that Flower of Scotland is difficult to play on the bagpipes. The third last note is a flattened seventh, which is not considered to be part of the standard pipe scale. In order to hit the correct note, a 'forked fingering' must be used which less experienced players are unlikely to be familiar with. 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[2] is seen by some, particularly within the sport of rugby, as a possible alternative This tune was composed by a German,and here are several sets of lyrics[3] to it, including one from a second generation Scot, Terry Mechan.
In July 2006, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted an online poll (publicised by Reporting Scotland) in which voters could choose a national anthem from one of five candidates. 10,000 people took part in the poll in which Flower of Scotland came out a clear winner. The results were as follows:
| Tune | Votes (%) |
|---|---|
| Flower of Scotland | 41% |
| Scotland the Brave | 29% |
| Highland Cathedral | 16% |
| A Man's a Man for A That | 7% |
| Scots Wha Hae | 6% |
Contents |
[edit] Lyrics
[edit] OriginalO Flower of Scotland, The hills are bare now, Those days are past now O Flower of Scotland, |
[edit] GaelicO Fhlùir na h-Alba, Na cnuic tha lomnochd Tha 'n eachdraidh dùinte O Fhlùir na h-Alba, |
[edit] Scots lyricsO Flouer o Scotland, The Hills is bare nou, Thir days is past nou, O Flouer o Scotland, |
