What’s The Meaning Of Auld Lang Syne? – The History Behind The Popular New Year’s Song

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Every year on New Year’s Eve, total strangers will gather together and attempt to sing an old song called Auld Lang Syne. But what’s the meaning of Auld Lang Syne, and how did it become the “New Year’s Song”?

Who Wrote Auld Lang Syne?

Auld Lang Syne is an old Lowland Scots poem published by Robert Burns in 1788. Roughly translated, it means “long, long ago” or literally old long time. However, the song isn’t an entirely original composition.

Burns collected the lyrics from multiple songs, including several versions of Auld Lang Syne, some of which had never existed in print before. The phrases “Old Long Syne” and “Auld Lang Syne”, as well as several lyrical similarities to the Burns version, can be found in older poems and ballads by Allan Ramsay, Robert Ayton, and James Watson.

For comparison’s sake, here’s the first verse of James Watson’s 1711 Old Long Syne poem:

Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
On old long syne.

And here’s Burns’ first verse of Auld Lang Syne:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

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Auld Lang Syne Meaning: It’s Confusing To Everyone

Between all the Old English words and phrases, most people don’t know the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne or understand what exactly they are singing.

A discussion about the meaning of Auld Lang Syne is in the final scene of Rob Reiner‘s 1989 film When Harry Met Sally. In the movie, Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) debate the meaning of the lyric “old acquaintances should be forgot”. Should we forget our old friends, or remember them?

• Harry: What does this song mean? My whole life, I don’t know what this song means. I mean, ‘Should old acquaintance be forgot’? Does that mean we should forget old acquaintances, or does it mean if we happen to forget them, we should remember them, which is not possible because we already forgot them?
• Sally: Well, maybe it just means that we should remember that we forgot them or something. Anyway, it’s about old friends.

What Does Auld Lang Syne Mean?

To fully understand the meaning of Auld Long Syne, you need to read the lyrics carefully. They are listed in the next section below.

• First Verse: The first verse of Auld Lang Syne is a rhetorical question: “Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?” No they shouldn’t, but if you don’t know the lyrics, then you may not realize that this line is a question. A common mistake, is thinking that the line is just “old acquaintance be forgot”.
• Chorus: Loosely translated, Auld Long Syne means “the good old days”. So the chorus is basically just saying grab a “cup of kindness” and ‘let’s drink to the good old days’.
• Additional Verses: The next few verses remember the fun that we’ve had with our acquaintances, like hiking, boating and more drinking… of course.

What's the meaning of Auld Lang Syne, and why do we sing it on New Year's Eve? #NewYearsSong #NewYearsEve #HappyNewYear #NewYear #NewYearsEveSong #Friendship #AuldLangSyne Share on X

Auld Lang Syne Lyrics (English Version)

Auld Lang Syne is a hard song to memorize. As a result, when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, people will try to fake their way through the lyrics without understanding the meaning of Auld Lang Syne. Here’s an English version of the lyrics for Auld Lang Syne below in case you want to practice.

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,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I’ll buy mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Auld Lang Syne Lyrics Download

Here’s a printable version of the lyrics for the New Year’s song. Make some handouts of the Auld Lang Syne lyrics for you and your friends:

• Auld Lang Syne Printable Lyrics (download link)

How Auld Lang Syne Became The New Year’s Eve Song And A Beloved Tradition Around The World

Over the centuries, singing Auld Lang Syne on New Year’s Eve became a Scottish tradition. And then from Scotland, it slowly spread to other parts of the British Isles. Then as people from the United Kingdom emigrated around the world, they took the New Year’s Eve song and it’s tradition with them.

By the early 1900s, Auld Lang Syne was already very popular, but one of the people who really helped make the song a New Year’s Eve tradition was Guy Lombardo. Before Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest turned New Year’s Eve into a celebrity TV event, Lombardo was “Mr. New Year’s Eve” in America. Starting in 1928, Lombardo’s band, The Royal Canadians, performed their first New Year’s Eve broadcast to a local audience and played Auld Lang Syne at midnight. The next year the band’s New Year’s Eve performance was broadcasted nationally and would continue until 1979, two years after Lombardo’s death in 1977.

Years later, it’s now customary in many English-speaking counties to sing Auld Lang Syne on New Year’s Eve to bid farewell to the old year. The song is also commonly heard at funerals, graduations, and other formal occasions as a way to say goodbye.

Auld Lang Syne is even popular in non-English speaking countries. For example, some retail stores in Southeast Asia, especially Japan, play a version of Auld Lang Syne called “Hotaru no Hikari” over their loudspeakers to inform customers that they are closing for the day.

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Did You Know That Alexa Can Sing The New Year’s Song (Auld Lang Syne)?

In 2017, a group of Amazon employees recorded a version of the New Year’s song for an Alexa skill. If you own an Amazon Echo product, just ask Alexa the following to hear it: “Alexa, sing Auld Lang Syne (pronounced “auld lang sign”). Amazon even shared an Auld Lang Syne YouTube clip of the recording session.

In addition to singing Auld Lang Syne, there’s a variety of helpful New Year’s related commands that you can ask Amazon’s Alexa. These include an Alexa New Year’s Eve countdown, jokes, and even a bar locator.

What’s The Meaning Of Auld Lang Syne?

So what’s the meaning of Auld Lang Syne? Basically, don’t forget the past. Take a moment to buy your friends a drink, or a “cup o’ kindness“, and remember their friendship and the times you’ve had together over the years.

On New Year's Eve, total strangers will attempt to sing an old Scottish song called #AuldLangSyne. But what's the meaning of Auld Lang Syne and why is it the New Year's song? #NewYearsSong #NewYearsEve #HappyNewYear #NewYear… Share on X

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