Auld Lang Syne
By Robert Burns
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
The text is a Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns
For auld lang syne.
in 1788 but based on an older Scottish folk song. In 1799, it
was set to a traditional tune, which has since become
We twa hae run about the braes, standard. "Auld Lang Syne" is listed as numbers 6294 and
And pou’d the gowans fine; 13892 in the Roud Folk Song Index.
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
Sin’ auld lang syne.
The poem's Scots title may be translated into standard
English as "old long since" or, less literally, "long long
We twa hae paidl’d in the burn, ago", "days gone by", "times long past" or "old times".
Frae morning sun till dine; Consequently, "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne. What is the reflection of Auld Lang
Syne?
And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!
“Auld Lang Syne” invites us to look ahead to the future–to
And gie’s a hand o’ thine! make plans, to create resolutions. But this song is a
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught, reminder to also consider the past. It is supposed to
For auld lang syne. capture a conversation between two old acquaintances
catching up after a long time apart.
Who wrote Auld Lang Syne?
Burns first wrote down “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788, but the
poem did not appear in print until shortly after his death in
1796. It was first published in volume five of James
Johnson's Scots Musical Museum.
When can you play Auld Lang Syne?
'Auld Lang Syne' rings in every new year, and even gets
used at funerals.