"For old times’ sake" or Auld Lang Syne
We sing along every year to Auld Lang Syne, so this year I decided to see, with the help of Brittanica, what we were actually singing about.
Auld Lang Syne, is a Scottish song with words attributed to the national poet of Scotland, Robert "Rabbie" 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. It is a song of Réunion. The lyrics are about old friends having a drink and recalling adventures they had long ago. It has a universal sentiment, filled with emotion, and the nostalgia of remembering old friends. It was even used as a truce song in World War 1. It even makes it to the end of the movie Its a Wonderful Life. It is thee New Years song. There is no specific reference to the new year, yet used as an international anthem worldwide at Hogmanay - the Scottish name for new year celebrations.
The Lyrics
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.
The Tune
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.
Many variations of wording can be found in both versions of “Auld Lang Syne” as they have been set down over the years. In fact, surviving manuscript copies in Burns’s own hand are not identically worded.
Scots version
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,
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,
For auld lang syne.We twa hae run about the braes
And pu’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot
Sin auld lang syne.We twa hae paidl’d i’ the burn,
Frae mornin’ sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin auld lang syne.And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right guid willy waught,
For auld lang syne.
English version
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.We two have run about the slopes,
And picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
Since auld lang syne.We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since auld lang syne.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.
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