Flower of Scotland
Lyrics
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 (against who?),
Proud Edward’s Army,
And sent him homeward,
To think again.
The Hills are bare now,
And Autumn leaves
lie thick and still,
O’er land that is lost now,
Which those so dearly held,
That stood against him (against who?),
Proud Edward’s Army,
And sent him homeward,
To 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 (against who?),
Proud Edward’s Army,
And sent him homeward,
To think again.
Sing Along
History
Penned by musician Roy Williamson, Flower Of Scotland is a relatively recent piece, and was only adopted by the national team in 1997, although by then it had already been in informal use since 1993.
Fittingly in the context of Scottish football (or not, depending on your allegiance), the lyrics are a reference to the victory scored by Robert the Bruce over Edward II’s English army at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, though the anthem’s stirring refrain hasn’t catalyzed many repeat successes since.