Scotland's Burning

"London's Burning (round)" redirects here. For The Clash song, see London's Burning (The Clash song).

"Scotland's Burning", also known in England as "London's Burning", is a variant of a song and nursery rhyme popular with children.

A drinking fountain next to the Monument to the Great Fire of London, showing the song's words

Words

The song can be sung as a round when each part starts two bars after the previous one. It may be an example of a nursery rhyme with tragic or violent themes. The London lyrics are said to be about the Great Fire of London, a five-day fire in the city of London in 1666.^[1] The first notation of a round in this theme dates from 1580.^[2] The Scotland lyrics are said to be about the Burning of Edinburgh in 1544, ordered by Henry VIII of England.^[3]

The lyrics are alluded to in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Act 4, scene 1, when Grumio asks Curtis to prepare a warm fire for guests.^[4]

In the Netherlands the song is known as "Brand in Mokum (nl)" ("Fire in Amsterdam")^{[5][circular reference]}, which is said to refer to the Amsterdam revolt against Napoleon in 1813.^[3]

Musical scores

• 
  "Scotland's Burning" (1580)^[2] Play^ⓘ
• 
  "London's Burning"^[1] Play^ⓘ
• 
  "Scotland's Burning" in duple meter.^[6][7][8] Play^ⓘ