Auld Lang Syne Meaning: The History Behind The Popular New Year’s Song

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 is this New Year’s song and is there an Auld Lang Syne meaning that you should know?

Auld Lang Syne Lyrics & History

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, that hadn’t entirely 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?

Auld Lang Syne Meaning: It’s Confusing To Everyone

Between all the Old English words and phrases, most people don’t know the lyrics or understand the song. A discussion about the meaning of Auld Lang Syne was 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 if the meaning of Auld Lang Syne’s 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.

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. 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 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 America’s “Mr. New Year’s Eve” and gathered national audiences to hear live music. 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 a custom in many English-speaking counties to sing the Auld Lang Syne song 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.

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.

Alexa New Year’s Commands

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

Auld Lang Syne Lyrics (English Version)

Now that you understand the meaning of Auld Long Syne, let’s talk about the lyrics. Auld Lang Syne is a hard song to memorize. As a result, when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, millions of people around the world will try to fake their way through the lyrics. Here’s an English version of the lyrics below in case you want to practice.

Do your friends a favor and use this printable version of the New Year’s song to make some handouts of the lyrics: Auld Lang Syne Printable Lyrics

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

Related Articles:

• Fun New Year’s Traditions (In Order Of Execution)
• Ring In The New Year With These Alexa New Year’s Eve Countdown Skills
• Things to Ask Alexa on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
• Easy New Year’s Traditions For Lazy People