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The text is a Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 [4][5] but based on an older Scottish folk song. In 1799, it was set to a traditional pentatonic tune, which has since become standard. "Auld Lang Syne" is listed as numbers 6294 and 13892 in the Roud Folk Song Index.
- Overview
- Scots version
- English version
Auld Lang Syne, Scottish song with words attributed to the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns. The composer is not definitely known. In English-speaking countries, the first verse and chorus are now closely associated with the New Year festival.
The lyrics of “Auld Lang Syne” are in the Scots language. The title, translated literally into standard English, is Old Long Since. The words can be interpreted as since long ago or for old times’ sake. The lyrics are about old friends having a drink and recalling adventures they had long ago. There is no specific reference to the new year.
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. Burns, a major contributor to the compilation, claimed that the words of “Auld Lang Syne” were taken “from an old man’s singing.” However, the song has been associated with Burns ever since. As published by Johnson, the lyrics were set to a different tune from the one that later became familiar.
Poems with similar words existed before the time of Burns. Sir Robert Ayton, who died in 1638, wrote Old Long Syne, a poem that was first published in 1711 and is sometimes cited as Burns’s inspiration. The Scottish poet Allan Ramsay published a poem in 1720 that begins with the line “Should auld acquaintance be forgot” but is otherwise dissimilar to the Burns poem.
The melody also existed before Burns wrote down the words. The English composer William Shield used a similar tune in his comic opera Rosina, first performed in 1782. Another version of the same tune was published in 1792 in volume four of the Johnson compilation, but with words entirely different from “Auld Lang Syne.” Not until 1799 did the words and music that are now familiar appear together, in a Scottish song compilation published by George Thomson. In the 19th century the song was reprinted many times, and eventually it became part of the Scottish Hogmanay (New Year’s celebration). Hogmanay celebrants traditionally sing the song while they stand in a circle holding hands.
The Canadian-born bandleader Guy Lombardo helped make “Auld Lang Syne” a New Year’s Eve tradition in North America. His band, the Royal Canadians, played the song at the turn of the new year in a series of popular radio (and later television) broadcasts that began on December 31, 1929, and continued for more than 30 years.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
(Chorus)
For auld lang syne, my jo,
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And old lang syne?
(Chorus)
For auld lang syne, my dear,
Dec 31, 2013 · Hollywood loves it. In the early part of the 20th Century the film industry brought Auld Lang Syne to an even bigger audience. Charlie Chaplin used Auld Lang Syne for a New Year scene in the Gold...
Dec 31, 2023 · His words were first published in 1796, according to the Library of Congress. Burns also sent a slightly revised version to a publisher in 1793, but that version was not published until 1799 —...
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Sep 7, 2023 · The famous tune is loosely based on a pentatonic (five-note) scale, and has been borrowed and quoted by countless composers and writers. Beethoven even wrote an arrangement of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as part of his 12 Scottish Folksongs from 1814 (listen below).
Dec 22, 2021 · When was “Auld Lang Syne” written? Burns wrote his “Auld Lang Syne” version—the one that we’ve all come to know (or at least kind of know)—in 1788 and published it in 1796. Since the first known recording of the expression came about more than a century earlier, it’s clear it wasn’t an entirely new concept.
Feb 7, 2017 · Auld Lang Syne is a song written by Robert Burns in the 1780s, and today has become an anthem sung the world over at New Year. In 1788 Robert Burns sent the poem 'Auld Lang Syne' to the Scots Musical Museum, indicating that it was an ancient song but that he'd been the first to record it on paper.
