“Scots Wha Hae” is a song about the Wars of Scottish Independence. It was written by poet and song collector Robert Burns and is set to the traditional Scots air, “Hey Tuttie Tatie.” It is a patriotic song that was considered the unofficial national anthem of Scotland.
The song’s lyrics are formed in the style of a speech by
Robert the Bruce. He is addressing his troops before the Battle of Bannockburn in
1314. During this battle,
Scotland maintained its independence from England.
Throughout the song, those who stand up for a cause are praised, while those who flee are seen as cowards. The
lyrics were originally written using both English and Scottish vocabulary. The title “translates” to “Scots Who Have.”
Like other Celtic songs, “Scots Wha Hae” exemplifies the military values of strength,
loyalty, courage, and sacrifice. These values also show up in Catholic
spiritual warfare.
In the first stanza, in Bruce’s speech at Bannockburn, he
reminds his troops that the Scottish people have fought for independence
against the British before, particularly under Sir Wallace and under Bruce
himself. He encourages them to prepare for an upcoming battle. As the song
progresses, Bruce continues to prepare his troops for battle, including
eliminating those who might cause the Scottish troops to be defeated by the
British troops.
The song proceeds to give Bruce’s troops instructions for
the battle at hand and defines Bruce’s ideal soldier. He reminds his troops
that they are fighting oppression by the British, and he tells them that in
order to achieve this, his troops have to be willing to shed every ounce of
blood in their bodies.
The poem was in the 1799 edition of “A Select Collection of
Original Scottish Airs for the Voice,” which was edited by George Thomson. Thomson
preferred that the poem be set to the song Lewie Gordon,” and he made Burns add
a fourth line to each stanza in order to fit the song. The original words and
tune were restored for the 1802 edition.
“ScotsWhat Hae” is now the official song of the Scottish National Party, and it
is played at the closing of their national conference each year. The tune of
the song is believed to have been played by Bruce’s army at Bannockburn. It was
also played during the Siege of Orleans in the Hundred Years’ War in 1429, where
the song is called "Marche des soldats de Robert Bruce.”
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