This majestic Scottish song is the main theme for The Last of the Mohicans. It rises to the splendor of Daniel Day-Lewis running through the hills somewhere east of the Mississippi, his long hair swirling behind him. But the song first came to my attention in “Leave Nothing,” my favorite television commercial, a strangely moving tribute to the resilience of the human spirit and never giving up (and football). I used to listen to this song as I ran, then staggered, up the old stone steps at Percy Warner Park in Nashville, joyful and hurting at once. Like life itself.

This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day to May 31, 2025.

To receive a weekly summary rather than a daily email, please subscribe on my Substack blog The Impatient Reader. Instructions here.