In the song “Auld Lang Syne,” whose poem supplied the familiar lyrics?

In the song “Auld Lang Syne,” Robert Burns supplied the familiar lyrics.

Burns, Scotland's national poet, wrote down and sent a version of the poem to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. The phrase “auld lang syne” means “old long since,” or more naturally, “times gone by.” The poem asks whether old friendships and memories should be forgotten.

The words are commonly sung to a traditional Scottish tune. The melody became strongly associated with New Year's celebrations in English-speaking countries during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although the song is also used at farewells, graduations, and memorial occasions.

Burns did not necessarily invent every line or the melody. He described the song as an old one, and scholars have identified earlier versions of some lines. His written version, however, is the source most closely linked to the modern lyrics.