Article from the Sunday Times newspaper from 4th February 2007.
IT MOVED ME - FLOWERS OF THE FOREST
The first time I heard The Flowers of the Forest I was at school in Dunfermline.
Even then as a young schoolgirl I remember being struck by the mournful and haunting melody.
It's a song that is very much a part of Scottish culture, almost everybody will recognise the tune - it's played every year at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and all sorts of other occasions, when "the fallen" are remembered.
It is a traditional Scottish lament for departed lovers, friends and family who have gone away and are never to return. Many people outside of Scotland just know it as The Lament when it is played at Remembrance Day ceremonies.
No matter the occasion it always makes me feel very sad.
I was asked to include it in a collection of songs from the Jacobite risings, which was being recorded by Bill Leader for an album called The Fate o' Charlie. I was there because Archie Fisher, the Scottish folk balladeer who had always been a great mentor of mine, invited me to sing the woman's point of view. The Flowers of the Forest was one of the songs I had to sing.
There are several different versions of the lyrics, but probably the most popular were written by Jean Elliot in the 18th century and remember those who were lost at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513:
Dool and wae for the order sent our lads to the Border,
The English, for ance, by guile won the day;
The Flow'rs o' the Forest that fought aye the foremost,
The prime o' our land, lie cauld in the clay.
But I could hardly ever get through it without crying - every time I started to sing it the tune always moved me to tears. The power of my own voice singing it was enough to shake me to my boots. I had to concentrate hugely to stay focused.
Ian McKellen always says that to get through a very emotional performance, you have to "breathe and look at a fixed point".
I'm thinking of reviving the song in my repertoire some time in the future.
If I were to sing it again, and hopefully get right through to the end this time, I think I'd have to take his advice for sure.
