Gone is the past, let us start anew,
Let this hope of peace always remain,
Spirit of Scotia, be strong and true,
then your children will smile again.
Rise Caledonia, let your voices ring
in this Highland Cathedral of our God and King,
Whom, joy and liberty, to all, will bring,
Come, let your heart, with love and courage, sing.
Lonely the exile o'er distant seas,
the home of their birth, gone from their eyes.
Bring back their souls o'er the ocean breeze
to the land where their fathers lie.
Rise Caledonia ........
The tale is told that under the rule of King James the First, all Clan chiefs were asked to meet in a secret place, the Highland Cathedral, to pledge an end to their constant feuding and to live in peace. This they swore and peace reigned in both Scotland and England, but, only for as long as the King lived.