Robert Burns is credited with preserving the best-known version of “Auld Lang Syne,” traditionally sung at New Year's Eve.
Burns, Scotland's national poet, sent a version of the song to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. He said it was based partly on an old Scottish song, and he supplied words that became the standard modern text. The title means “old long since,” or more naturally, “for old times' sake.”
The melody commonly used today was paired with the words during later publication and performance history. The song asks whether old acquaintances and memories should be forgotten, then celebrates friendship with shared drinks and a raised cup.
It became especially associated with New Year's celebrations through international performance and recordings. The song is not exclusively a New Year's song: it is also used at farewells, graduations, funerals, and other transitions. A common mistake is to call Burns the song's sole composer; his role was chiefly as the poet who recorded and adapted the words, while the melody has a separate history.