To prevent confusion, I can just say: The Flower Of Scotland is a very passionate song written with passion to be sang with passion. I can then conclude that this song makes a very good but, sadly, temporarily National Anthem. Of course one can read in the text that it would not be as realistic to sing it when independence has been achieved. I wonder if the writer, a nationalist, knew this ... I think he did, and just wrote it as a run-up to independence...

 

Okay, but what makes this the most competent national anthem then?
Simply the enduring lyric: the pure, undiluted truth contained therein, reflecting such common human characteristics as pride and dignity; and a honest, decent and  humane person's desire for brotherhood among men.

One of the current myths is that Scotland is not yet ready for independence, and that in the event it becomes independent, the land will be in financial distress.  Suppose this idiotic myth is true?  - answer:

Is there for honest poverty that hangs his head, and all that?

The coward slave, we pass him by - we dour be poor for a' that!"  (though, the latter, indeed, so very unlikely with all our oil, tourism, export etc. What though on homely fare we dine (run our own country, in this case, by our own politics) wear hoddin grey (cheap clothes), and all that? - give fools their silks and knaves their wine, a man's a man for all that.

Though these words were directly aimed at the fools and crooks (though dukes, marquises etc.) with whom he became aquatint in Edinburgh, they can be applied to the fools and cowards of today - and, indeed, the crooks: because though some know Scotland is more than ready for independence, for their own financial or political gain (remember bobbing John?) they would campaign against it!

Then take the lyrics in the third fourth and fifth stanza:
The third tells you exactly what the independent mind does -laugh!
Too many people are intimidated or persuaded to do foolish things they simply do not want to do  - but not the independent mind!

The fourth refers to the importance of sense and the pride of word.
In the fourth calling for brother hood among nations - everyone in his own dignity...in the end, god shall judge us all.

 

The truth, the very essence of these words, written just before Burns' departure from Edinburgh,
where he for some time had wined, dined and rubbed shoulders with the aristocracy, are, by nature, resident in the hearts of millions across the world, and so they can relate to them.

He wrote this song as an answer to the foolish idiot, dust-low coward, the ignorant arrogant: -
the like that would disgrace him/her self by discarding the God-given, native accent and dialect for an English tongue, in vain believe that this would rank them higher, and perhaps bring in more money; the rich 'crook' or ignorant, strutting and staring at those not as fortunate, etc. But o! how dust-low are they! Too ignorant to know that ' the rank is but the guinea's stamp', and any dignified person would dear be poor for all that!

Repeatedly these aristocrats, both the Scots and English, suggested that Burns wrote his poems in 'plain English' - but he would not do and he would not style! In the end he constantly aimed to surpass other great poets, and succeeded therein magnificently by writing 'his' poetry and 'his' alone, straight from the his native Scottish heart, in his native dialect.  And so he wrote this song as an answer to all them and as an eye-opener to the ignorant who would look up to a person just because he or she (by folly it self) was named a prince, marquis, duke, king or any other plain rubbish title, overlooking the true 'man'.
   These titles are a mere presentation of  enduring English vanity, arrogance, ignorance and folly, and I my self class them 'dust-low' - right where they come from!

He closed the song expressing his wish that men, perhaps one day, will be able to do away with all this non-sense, this theatre, this arrogant foolishness and that, no matter what the rank, creed, financial status, race or whatever, men shall not be judged on any of that, but shall be taken for what they are (the man's the gold for all that) and brothers be, for a' that!

And homewards he went, back to his native Ayr and his wee country cottage, dining on his haggis, neeps and tatties and other delicious native fare and going fine without the money he earned in Edinburgh - he doured be puir for a' that, and puir he died, in all his dignity, a man far more the worth of gold.

Now you have read the song you must be able to see the pure, undiluted ever-lasting truth therein contained: and no doubt you know at least one person with such pride and dignity, if you are not one your self  - but be you a coward, or a fool, I hope this page has been an eye-opener for you and that now at least you know what you are really worth.