Think we should reinstate Verse 2 if it's going to be for England only.
Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.
Balders
We would have to wait for a King first though. :-) Could be ruddy ages at this rate. After what I have ate and drunk over the last two weeks I think HMQ will outlive me. :-)
I wonder whether you noticed, Baz, that during the recent World Cup Rugby competition - but for a grotesque refereeing error - Scotland would have been in a semi-final, England having failed even to get out of the pool stages. Sure, the ghastly 'Flower of Scotland' dirge wasn't involved, but it is worth recording that the Jocks weren't quite the also-rans England were!
yes I tend to agree paddy and others - Jerusalem is the only choice for me too. I have had the immense pleasure of being in a crowd of 86000 belting that out at Twickers, what a buzz, I had tingle running through my whole body.
The opening two verses of 'Jerusalem', referring to a conceivable paradise in England, contain four questions, the answer to each of which is a resounding "No!"
well QM this particular Scott thinks there may be something in it...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8380511.stm
anyway I doubt Jesus even existed anyway, just some random bloke invented to help subjugate the masses like all religion. I just like the song and how it comes out when done by a crowd.
Jerusalem. Definitely my No 1 choice for an English Anthem. Mrs retro has been given her instructions re my crem music some time ago. That is the start. The finish will be Norman Greenbaum, "Spirit in the Sky"
On that cheery note. Happy New Year to All :-)
TTT, the only question I can think of in 'Flower of Scotland' is, "When will we see yer like again?" The song goes on "Those days are past now...", so the opportunity to see such bravery nowadays is virtually impossible. However, in September 2014, The Scots wereoffered the chance to stand up and fight for their independence, just as they were centuries ago. However, they blew it!
despite my regular japery I do think they have a formidable leader now, much tougher than the previous one. The problem is though the Scotts seem obsessed with hating England when it's not necessary, they should focus that energy elsewhere.
Pete 65, have you really never heard of the word, 'fight', being used in a political context before?
TTT, Sure, there are some Scots who dislike the English but extremely few who are, as you claim, "obsessed with hating England". I'm pretty sure that, using only the evidence available right here in AB, it would be obvious that the dislike of Scots by some English is vastly more prevalent than the reverse!