Singing Scotland's Future and Past

John Robertson

Inspired by my lack of fondness for Flowers of the Forest with it’s characterising of rapacious thugs as flowers or for that matter, Flower of Scotland, and it’s ‘wee bit hill and glen.’

Three versions:

https://suno.com/s/A5d18lvmqSgDge1S

https://suno.com/s/DuVxthlXBBCht5GO

https://suno.com/s/SUYW2gdYzdOM3E5q

No more Flowers of the Forest for me

There’ll be no more Flowers of the Forests for me

No more tears for thousands dead on Flodden Field

I want to know just who is to blame for this disaster

There will be no more flowers of the forest for me

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth was so bloody clever?

We were up on the high ground and more of us than them

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth knew how to fight?

Twelve thousand dead more than four times the English

All for the French king and just to spite Henry Tudor

In September 1513 with our clever King James,

We were forty thousand strong on the high ground

But our cannonballs just flew right over their heads

And theirs flew straight and low right into our lines

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth was so bloody clever?

We were up on the high ground and more of us than them

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth knew how to fight?

Twelve thousand dead more than four times the English

All for the French king and just to spite Henry Tudor

The toll was high because the English took no prisoners

You cannot blame them because we drove them to it

For weeks our savage flowers raided their towns and villages

Burning the towns and fields, stealing, raping and killing

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth was so bloody clever?

We were up on the high ground and more of us than them

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth set loose the dogs of war?

Twelve thousand dead more than four times the English

All for the French king and just to spite Henry Tudor

The so-called flowers of the forest were not our ain folk

They were the King, his Lords and very best gentlemen

For a change they led from the front in a mad charge

And died with no quarter as they bloody well deserved

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth was so bloody clever?

We were up on the high ground and more of us than them

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth set loose the dogs of war?

Twelve thousand dead more than four times the English

All for the French king and just to spite Henry Tudor

No harm to the writer it is a fine wee song

But it’s time to tell the truth of what went on

We were led by donkeys as we would be again

King James the Fourth had none of their guile

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth was so bloody clever?

We were up on the high ground and more of us than them

How did we lose if Jimmie the Fourth had fine gentlemen?

Twelve thousand dead more than four times the English

All for the French king and just to spite Henry Tudor