Magic and Mayhem

Our dear friend Polly lives in Scotland.  She asked Daryl to teach the kids to sing “Flower of Scotland” since it’s considered one of their national songs and is so beloved.

Daryl printed the words out and we’ve been singing it together in the car.  It is a lovely song and it gets stuck in your head!  I’ve asked him to learn it on the dulcimer so we can sing it to music, too.

The tune is a bit tricky to get from just the lyrics so I asked him to find some versions for me to listen to.  Here are some favorites.

Video of the Corries singing it 40 years ago…

Brigid Gore for a female perspective

and The Red Hot Chili Peppers for a modern rock perspective.

A bit of the history behind it, from this site where you can find national anthems, sheet music and more:

A constituent nation of the United Kingdom, Scotland lacks an official, legislated “national song”; in fact there are several songs in use as “national songs” of Scotland. The one most often considered as the unofficial national anthem (and most often presented as Scotland’s anthem at sporting matches) is “Flower of Scotland”, written by Roy Williamson for the popular folk group The Corries. This anthem, however, has not been adopted in any official basis as the Scottish anthem.

We’re finishing studying China right now but next we’re delving into Scotland… lapbooks, food, history, culture, etc.  It is such a marvelous country that it should be a really neat unit.  Having the tie to Polly makes it all the more special, too.

ENGLISH 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,
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 lost now,
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