Scots Wha Hae

“Scots Wha Hae” is a patriotic song of Scotland written using both words of the Scots language and English, which served for centuries as an unofficial national anthem. It means simply ‘Scots we have’.

The lyrics were written by Robert Burns in 1793, in the form of a speech given by Robert the Bruce before the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where Scotland maintained its sovereignty from the Kingdom of England. Although the lyrics are by Burns, he wrote them to the traditional Scottish tune “Hey Tuttie Tatie” 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 in front of Jeanne d’Arc. The song, called “Marche des soldats de Robert Bruce” in France, belongs to the traditional list of military musics and commemorates the long lasting Auld alliance between France and Scotland.

I mention this patriotic song as ‘Rough Guide’ readers voted Scotland the most beautiful country in the World. The award is something to be very proud, as they noted:

“Move over New Zealand – our very own Scotland is officially the most beautiful country in the world. The readers of the influential travel guide Rough Guide voted the country as ‘the most beautiful country in the world’, beating Canada to the number one slot. In its listing which also includes places like New Zealand, Finland, Norway and South Africa, the guide says: ‘And finally, the world’s most beautiful country is revealed: Scotland. Who can deny that these wild beaches, deep lochs and craggy castles are some of the most wonderful and beautiful sights in the worlds?’ In contrast, England only came in at number seven in the readers’ poll. Wales was number 10 in the list.”

So as the song says ‘Scots we have … the most beautiful country in the World!