"A Scottish Soldier" is a song written by
Andy Stewart using the tune of "The Green Hills of Tyrol", which was transcribed by John MacLeod during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
from "La Tua Danza Sì Leggiera", a chorus part in the third act of
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...
's 1829 opera ''
Guglielmo Tell'' (William Tell).
The song is about a dying Scottish soldier, wishing to return to the hills of his homeland rather than die in the
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
. The song was one of two US chart entries by Andy Stewart. "A Scottish Soldier" reached no. 1 in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It spent 36 weeks in the UK Singles Chart in 1961.
This song was the entrance theme of professional wrestler
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and actor.
In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for hi ...
.
External links
About the songAndy Stewart Page*
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scottish Soldier
Scottish songs
Scottish folk songs
Scottish patriotic songs
Songs about the military
Songs about soldiers
Songs about Scotland