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Drink for a Scot's Land

by Rebecca Glon

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about

Most songs I hear about Scotland are about battles, or tragedy, or drinking, but someone needs to speak for the land. Its stoic, stubborn beauty is world renowned, so it's only fitting that there should be at least one song to highlight it. I was further inspired to pursue this song after learning about the Trees For Life group that's restoring the Caledonian forest (treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/the-caledonian-forest/) and the Highlands' description in history as "a wet desert." And with as hardy and adaptable as thistle are, the end of the final verse is meant to highlight a serious ecological problem if Scotland no longer be able to support its population.

lyrics

History says we’re drunkards, loud ones, and warriors,
And sometimes, our men are that way, too.
But with each battle won, and song that is sung,
Stands a Lady strong, gorgeous, and true.

chorus (with changes noted in other choruses)
For Her howling heights and black soil valleys,
For mist and rain that washes you clean:
I’ll challenge any taker who ignores Her beauty,
And denies all that I've seen.
For Scotland, I drink tonight.

Breathe with me the air as we stand above the world,
Such ardent green valleys surrounding.
With your breast clean and full,
your mind clears and sees
Sunset’s amber haze abounding.
Shoulders rise from the earth as boulders and bluffs,
Highlands cloaked in juniper and heather,
So by leaf, moor, and rock,
we’re made of sturdy, valiant stock
In all our hills and ancestors have weathered.

For Her breathtaking ridges and windswept sedges,
For endless skies that beckon our gaze,
…and denies Her boldest of ways.

Let me run with the red deer to the drumming in my heart,
Let the boar test my insight and courage
Amid the smell of damp cedar, woodland lullabies,
And fog of quiet, ancient promise.
May your path find the banks of our clearwater lochs,
Stretched for miles between guardian mountains.
In their reflection, you’ll find a mirror of time:
What you are, will be, and have always been.

For Her towering pines and their haunting wonder,
For trails that teach with sacred step,
…and denies the chills that I’ve met…

On Her shores, you will still feel the sea’s lonely pull
In salt spray and roaring surf,
But those daunting cliffs or rainbow machair
Have the call all rovers must answer.
There’s a chasm in my heart to never be filled
But by autumn rains and crimsons I have known.
And should the last thistle die, ever with Her I’ll lie
For I have failed to protect our home.

For Scotsmen, it’s pride in the land we live on
Where Lion Rampant flies free above.
We give all that’s needed to preserve Her beauty
In stories, good works, lives, and love.
For Scotland, we drink tonight.

credits

released August 2, 2020

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Rebecca Glon

Rebecca follows the traditions of the old days, with wandering performers who sought adventures to inspire their words, melodies, and offerings. Without a shred of formal or informal training, she continues to stretch her abilities through exposure to diversity and adversity, seeking out topics where others see useless prattle. ... more

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