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"Scots Wha Hae" (
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
: ''Scots Who Have''; gd, Brosnachadh Bhruis) is a patriotic song of
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
written using both words of the
Scots language Scots ( endonym: ''Scots''; gd, Albais, ) is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots). Most commo ...
and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
, which served for centuries as an unofficial
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
of the country, but has lately been largely supplanted by " Scotland the Brave" and " Flower of Scotland".


Background

The lyrics were written by
Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
in 1793, in the form of a speech given by
Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...
before the
Battle of Bannockburn The Battle of Bannockburn ( gd, Blàr Allt nam Bànag or ) fought on June 23–24, 1314, was a victory of the army of King of Scots Robert the Bruce over the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It wa ...
in 1314, where Scotland maintained its
sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
from the
Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. On ...
. Although the lyrics are by Burns, he wrote them to the traditional Scottish tune "
Hey Tuttie Tatie "Hey Tuttie Tatie" (also "Hey Tutie Teti" or "Hey Tuttie Taiti") is a traditional Scots air. Its age is unknown, though it is reputed to have been played by the army of Robert the Bruce before the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 and during the Siege ...
", which according to tradition, was played by Bruce's army at the Battle of Bannockburn. According to tradition, the same theme was played in 1429 by the Franco-Scots army at the
Siege of Orleans A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...
in front of Jeanne d'Arc. The song, called "Marche des soldats de Robert Bruce" in France, belongs to the traditional list of military music, and commemorates the long-lasting Auld alliance between France and Scotland. As for the Battle of Bannockburn, the theme really played was probably a traditional Scottish theme such as "Hey Tuttie Tatie". The tune tends to be played as a slow air, but certain arrangements put it at a faster tempo, as in the ''
Scottish Fantasy The ''Scottish Fantasy'' in E-flat major (german: Fantasie für die Violine mit Orchester und Harfe unter freier Benutzung schottischer Volksmelodien), Op. 46, is a composition for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch. Completed in 1880, it was de ...
'' by Max Bruch, the concert overture ''Rob Roy'' by
Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
, and the Real McKenzies' punk rock rendition on their 1998 album ''
Clash of the Tartans ''Clash of the Tartans'' is the second album by the band The Real McKenzies, originally released in 1998 (see 1998 in music). "Mainland" was the selected single, with an accompanying video directed by Danny Novak. Track listing #"Stone of King ...
''. The song was sent by Burns to his publisher, George Thomson, at the end of August 1793, with the title "Robert Bruce's March To Bannockburn", and a postscript saying that he had been inspired by Bruce's "glorious struggle for Freedom, associated with the glowing ideas of some other struggles of the same nature, not quite so ancient." This is seen as a covert reference to the
Radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics * Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...
movement, and particularly to the trial of
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
lawyer
Thomas Muir of Huntershill Thomas Muir (24 August 1765 – 26 January 1799), also known as Thomas Muir the Younger of Huntershill, was a Scottish political reformer and lawyer. Muir graduated from Edinburgh University and was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 178 ...
, whose trial began on 30 August 1793 as part of a British government crackdown, after the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Pruss ...
led to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
declaring war on the
Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, wh ...
on 1 February 1793. Muir was accused of
sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, esta ...
for allegedly inciting the Scottish people to oppose the government during the December 1792 convention of the Scottish Friends of the People Society, and was eventually sentenced to 14 years'
transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...
to the convict settlement at
Botany Bay Botany Bay ( Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. Burns was aware that if he declared his Republican and Radical sympathies openly, he could suffer the same fate. When Burns notably agreed to let the ''
Morning Chronicle ''The Morning Chronicle'' was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London. It was notable for having been the first steady employer of essayist William Hazlitt as a political reporter and the first steady employer of Charles Dickens as a journalist. I ...
'', of 8 May 1794, publish the song, it was on the basis of "let them insert it as a thing they have met with by accident, and unknown to me." The song was included in the 1799 edition of ''A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs for the Voice'', edited by George Thomson, but Thomson preferred the tune "Lewie Gordon", and had Burns add to the fourth line of each
stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have ei ...
, to suit. In the 1802 edition, the original words and tune were restored. In 1881, the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', reviewing ''Our Familiar Songs and Those Who Made Them'' by Helen Kendrick Johnson, asserted that no song was "more glorious" than "", explaining that once Burns' poem had been set to the tune of ''Hey Tuttie Tatie'', it "marched through the land forever, loud, and triumphant." "Scots Wha Hae" is the
party song Many political parties and other political movements have adopted a song or anthem to represent their beliefs and principles. This party song or party anthem is often sung or performed at party conferences. Algeria * National Liberation Front � ...
of the
Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from th ...
. In the past, it was sung at the close of their annual national conference each year. The tune was adapted for military band as by French army , and recorded around 1910 in his .Chomel, Léonce, ''Marches historiques, chants et chansons des soldats de France'', 3 tomes, Musée de l’armée, 1912 (manuscrit). The tune is also featured in the fourth movement of the
Scottish Fantasy The ''Scottish Fantasy'' in E-flat major (german: Fantasie für die Violine mit Orchester und Harfe unter freier Benutzung schottischer Volksmelodien), Op. 46, is a composition for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch. Completed in 1880, it was de ...
, composed in 1880 by German composer Max Bruch .


Lyrics


In popular culture

* The opening lyrics of the song are the key words for the posthypnotic-suggestion programming of
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
Exploratory Force soldiers in
Joe Haldeman Joe William Haldeman (born June 9, 1943) is an American science fiction author. He is best known for his novel '' The Forever War'' (1974). That novel and other works, including '' The Hemingway Hoax'' (1991) and '' Forever Peace'' (1997), have ...
's military science-fiction novel ''
The Forever War ''The Forever War'' (1974) is a military science fiction novel by American author Joe Haldeman, telling the contemplative story about human soldiers fighting an interstellar war against an alien civilization known as the Taurans. It won the Nebul ...
,'' intended to make them particularly aggressive in battle. * In the '' Dad's Army'' episode " My British Buddy", Private Frazer recites a personally updated version of the song's second and third lyrics to an American colonel during the welcoming of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
into
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.


References

*Bold, Alan (editor), ''Rhymer Rab, An Anthology of Poems and Prose by Robert Burns,'' Black Swan, Transworld Publishers Ltd, London 1993, *Mackay, James A. (editor), ''The Complete Letters of Robert Burns'', Ayr 1987.


External links

*Digitised copy o
Scots Wha Hae
in James Johnson's
Scots Musical Museum The ''Scots Musical Museum'' was an influential collection of traditional folk music of Scotland published from 1787 to 1803. While it was not the first collection of Scottish folk songs and music, the six volumes with 100 songs in each collected ...
, printed between 1787 and 1803, from
National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in t ...
. JPEG, PDF, XML versions.
MP3 file of vocal performance
{{Authority control Scottish patriotic songs Political party songs Poetry by Robert Burns Scots-language works Scottish National Party 1790s songs Scottish literature Traditional ballads William Wallace 1793 works 1793 in Scotland European anthems Robert the Bruce