The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #4984   Message #3976641
Posted By: GUEST,ActiusAquila
14-Feb-19 - 10:50 AM
Thread Name: The Flower of Scotland
Subject: RE: The Flower of Scotland
I used "Killiecrankie" as an example of how catchy Jacobite songs usually are. It wasn't meant to be an example of anti-Englishness. I guess I wasn't clear enough, and in that case, I apologize.

Still, though lots of Jacobite songs are not directly anti-English, indirectly, in my honest opinion (you may disagree), they are. Allan mentioned "Sound the Pibroch", which if you think about it is a call to arms- against the English. It's evocative and a beautiful song, of course, but you do start to see ways in which songs may be anti-English when you apply some thought. Allan also mentioned the "The Skye Boat Song" and (the original version) has the line "baffled our foes"- if you ask me "foes" isn't very neutral a term at all. It's not downright offensive, sure, but it'd probably rankle a few people.

I'm sure quite a few more songs are like that too (feel free to disagree and say I'm reading between the lines too much). The thing about Jacobite songs is that several of them are rooted in Scots vs English battles. Whenever that sort of thing comes up, though the song may not mention it, you sort of understand (if you know a tad bit of history) that part of the song's underlying themes are about a) Scots fighting the English, which I think doesn't have very positive connotations, b) Crushing the English (Haughs of Cromdale, Johnny Cope, Flower of Scotland, to a certain extent), or c) Scottish calls to arms against the English. It's the historical context that tends to bring about the Anti-Englishness in Jacobite songs (once again- my opinion), and not the lyrics. You don't have to explicitly say "the English" to get anti-Englishness in something.

But Jacobite songs aside, I think FoS as Roy sang it wasn't problematic. I agree with Tattie, it just sounds gentle and reflective when Roy does it. When Ronnie and the crowd sing it of course it's going to sound martial (and to be honest, there IS a match to play, there's a pipe playing, and Ronnie is usually very... vocally agressive when it comes to getting the crowd to sing louder). The anti-Englishness of FoS really depends on how you sing it.