Scotland the Brave

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Alba an Àigh

English: Scotland the Brave
Unofficial anthem of  Scotland
Lyrics	Cliff Hanley (unofficial), 1950
Music	Unknown composer
Published	1890s
Audio sample
Menu 0:00 "Scotland the Brave" (instrumental) file help

"Scotland the Brave" (Scottish Gaelic: Alba an Àigh) is a Scottish patriotic song, one of several often considered an unofficial Scottish national anthem (the others being "Flower of Scotland", 'Highland Cathedral", and "Scots Wha Hae").

History[]

The tune was first played probably in the late 19th century.^[1] The lyrics commonly used now were written about 1950 by Scottish journalist Clifford Leonard Clark "Cliff" Hanley for singer Robert Wilson as part of an arrangement by . Another set of lyrics also often heard were sung by Canadian singer John Charles McDermott; they are closely based on the poem "Let Italy Boast" by James Hyslop, which was first published in 1821 in "The Edinburgh Magazine". However, Hyslop intended his poem to be sung to the melody of Sir Walter Scott of Abbotsford, 1st Baronet's "Boat Song" from "The Lady of the Lake" and not "Scotland the Brave".

"Scotland the Brave" is also the authorised pipe band march of the British Columbia Dragoons of the Canadian Armed Forces,^[2] and also is played during the Pass in Review at Friday parades at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and the Virginia Military Institute.^{[citation needed]} In 2006,^{[citation needed]} it was adopted as the regimental quick march of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

"Scotland the Brave" was played before matches involving the Scotland national football team at the 1982, 1986, and 1990 FIFA World Cups.^[3][4][5][6] "Flower of Scotland" was subsequently adopted by Scotland for use at FIFA-sponsored events, after its usage by the Scottish rugby union team.^[6]

In June 2006, the song rated second in an online poll with more than 10,000 votes to determine Scotland's favourite unofficial anthem, losing only to "Flower of Scotland".^[7] The song was used to represent Scotland in the Commonwealth Games until it was replaced by "Flower of Scotland" from the 2010 games onwards.^[8]

Lyrics[]

Hark when the night is falling
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.

In popular culture[]

This section may contain indiscriminate, excessive, or irrelevant examples. Please by adding more descriptive text and removing less pertinent examples. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for further suggestions. (May 2021)

• A significant anachronism occurred in Kenneth Branagh's television movie Shackleton, wherein some of the characters sang this song.
• Pro wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper used the song as his entrance music throughout his career. He also performed the song on the bagpipes, alongside the Balmoral Highlanders, at WWF's SummerSlam '92 held in Wembley Stadium.
• The song, played on physical bagpipes, is often played at New York Police Department funerals.
• In the 1968 movie The Devil's Brigade, composer Alex North uses the melody as the beginning for the opening theme, and with variations, throughout the film score; the song is played by the bagpipers of the Canadian component of the 1st Special Service Force when they march into Fort William Henry Harrison to the disbelief of their US counterparts.
• In the 1970 movie Patton, the song is played by the band of the British Eighth Army in a victory parade through the streets of Messina, led by General Bernard Law Montgomery, before discovering that General George S. Patton and his Seventh US Army were already there to meet him. After a short exchange between the rival commanders, "Scotland the Brave" is struck up again, but is then symbolically drowned out by the American band's rendition of "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
• A bastardised and nonlyrical version of "Scotland the Brave" is used by St. Olaf College's Men's Rugby Club to rally before every game. The melody is chanted while the team high kicks in a circle and a sword is waved around.
• "Scotland the Brave" is sometimes used as an unofficial fight song by Macalester College, whose athletic teams are nicknamed the Fighting Scots. Additionally, a modified version is sung after a football victory, and the opening verse and chorus are sung before all rugby games.
• "Scotland the Brave" is the fight song for the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Fighting Scots. It is played by both the Spirit of the Scots Marching Band and the university's Pipe Band.
• It is played by a bagpiper during the opening of Peter Weir's movie Dead Poets Society (1989).
• The Dropkick Murphys song "Cadence to Arms" from their debut album Do or Die is a reworking of "Scotland the Brave"'s melody.
• A comic version by The Corries mixes humorous and topical lyrics.^[9]
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hymn "Praise to the Man" is set to the tune of "Scotland the Brave".
• The melody is also used for the Hawkesbury Agricultural College Rugby Team chant "Hawkesbury the Brave".
• The Halifax Mooseheads Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team plays a techno version of the song when the Mooseheads score.
• German heavy metal band Grave Digger have a version of "Scotland the Brave" as the introduction of their album Tunes of War.^[10]
• The first verse and chorus of Hanely's version are sung a cappella in Stuart Ross' 1990 musical movie Forever Plaid.
• The Scottish ITV television station Grampian Television used the first eight notes of the song in its logo identifications (or "idents") during its first three decades of broadcasting.^[11]
• This tune is the base for the school song of Brisbane school St. Laurence's College.^[12]
• In the 2005 video game TimeSplitters Future Perfect, a level titled "Scotland the Brave" features a soundtrack that evokes themes from the original song.
• In the video game The Sims 4, when Sims complete the Musical Genius aspiration, they have four songs to play to influence nearby Sims. One of them is "Song of Sophistication", which is clearly based on "Scotland the Brave", making nearby Sims change into formal wear.
• In Phineas and Ferb, a Scottish bagpipe player is heard playing "Scotland the Brave" as Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz curses him for playing it 24/7.
• In the video game Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Rise and Fall, Scotland's musical theme, composed and arranged by Geoff Knorr, is based on "Scotland the Brave" and the folk song "Bonnie Dundee".
• The melody of "Scotland the Brave" is repeatedly quoted in the song "SportsCandy", from the 2014 LazyTown episode "New Kid in Town".
• In 1996, German rave band the Scooter used the theme in the introduction of their Wicked! album.
• The tenor saxophone section of the Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band plays the song as a section anthem. The tradition, referred to by the section as "Ditty", was started as a joke to make fun of Michigan State's rival, the University of Notre Dame.
• In the video game Holdfast: Nations At War, the song can be played by players as a British Empire bagpiper.
• The University of Chicago alma mater is sung to the tune of Scotland the Brave during graduations with the university's bagpipe corps leading the processional.
• The 2009 single "Irish Celebration" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis samples the melody of Scotland the Brave.

References[]