Scotland the Brave

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"Scotland the Brave" is, along with "Flower of Scotland" and "Scots Wha Hae", an unofficial national anthem of Scotland. Probably the best known, it is used as the Scottish national anthem at the Commonwealth Games.

It is also the authorised pipe band march of The British Columbia Dragoons of the Canadian Forces and is played during the Pass in Review at Friday parades at The Citadel.

The song is on a CD called Sons of Somerled.

The lyrics were written comparatively recently by the Scottish journalist Cliff Hanley, roughly the 1950s, but he wrote them to a piping tune which goes back further. There was a significant anachronism in Kenneth Branagh's TV film Shackleton where some of the characters sang this song. "Scotland the Brave" is arranged to accompany Men of Harlech as part of the Radio 4 UK Theme.

[edit] Lyrics

Hark when the night is fallin
Hear! Hear the pipes are calling,
Loudly and proudly calling,
Down thro' the glen.
There where the hills are sleeping,
Now feel the blood a-leaping,
High as the spirits of the old Highland men.

Towering in gallant fame,
Scotland my mountain hame,
High may your proud standards gloriously wave,
Land of my high endeavour,
Land of the shining river,
Land of my heart for ever,
Scotland the brave.

High in the misty Highlands,
Out by the purple islands,
Brave are the hearts that beat
Beneath Scottish skies.
Wild are the winds to meet you,
Staunch are the friends that greet you,
Kind as the love that shines from fair maidens' eyes.

Far off in sunlit places,
Sad are the Scottish faces,
Yearning to feel the kiss
Of sweet Scottish rain.
Where tropic skies are beaming,
Love sets the heart a-dreaming,
Longing and dreaming for the homeland again.

Retrieved from wikisource:Scotland the Brave

A second, more militant (and less sentimental) version of the lyrics was penned by John McDermott^{[citation needed]}.