"It Only Takes One Lion" lyrics
"It Only Takes One Lion"
There are days that seem dark and long
Where the job is getting you down
So you shut your eyes and you think back to the game
Big McSauce is banging his chest
Tierney brings us back from the dead
And the last McLean shot is hanging in the air
This is Scotland
Where everybody knows you start with nothing
This is Scotland
Where you can join an army that's for peace
We love football
Mount Florida is coming to Miami
We love football
We've got another tango with Brazil
Play for me, play for me, play for me, play for me
Play for me, play for me, play for me, play for me
Leave it all, leave it all, leave it all, leave it all
In the goal, in the goal, in
You give us hope
You gave us despair
You make us shout
You make us dance and swear
And when I think of all the times we've been through
It only takes one lion to score
From Andrew W
To Andy R
We played the game we loved
We played it hard
And when the manager said shoot for the stars
It only takes one lion to roar
And I remember the squad
And I don't think it's odd that I can see all those faces
And when I was young I thought I'd be one
And we would see all those places
We would be in Mexico, Mexico
We would be in Canada, North Americano
You've got to score for all of us
You've got to play for me
Play for me, play for me, play for me, play for me
Play for me, play for me, play for me, play for me
You've got to win for all of us
Leave it all, leave it all, leave it all, leave it all
In the goal, in the goal, in the goal, in the goal
This is Scotland
Where everybody knows you start with nothing
This is Scotland
Where you can join an army that's for peace
We love football
Mount Florida is coming to Miami
We love football
We've got another samba with Brazil
This is Scotland
Where everybody knows you start with nothing
This is Scotland
Where you can join an army that's for peace
We love football
Mount Florida is coming to Miami
We love Haiti
We're up against Morocco in the heat
"It Only Takes One Lion" was written, after the Scotland's national football team had been qualified for the World Cup 2026 for the first time in 28 years. Stuart Murdoch, the frontman of Belle and Sebastian explained, "It's my little anthem for how I feel about football and following Scotland for the last 50 years, just the ups and downs. It's quite a heartfelt thing."
This single's cover artwork depicts the frontman of Belle and Sebastian, Stuart Murdoch, as a child. He wears a Scotland team kit in the photograph. The song was released on the 2nd of June, 2026, accompanied by the
music video co-directed by Murdoch and Marisa Privitera Murdoch.
Speaking with pitchfork.com, Stuart Murdoch shared about the meaning behind "It Only Takes One Lion", "It's a personal song about following the travails of Scotland's national team for the last 50 years and it came out naturally the day after the game against Denmark. The song tries to encompass the experience of the whole country following Scotland."
- AZLyrics
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- Belle & Sebastian Lyrics
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