The New Year’s Eve song beginning “Should auld acquaintance be forgot” is “Auld Lang Syne.” The title is Scots for “old long since,” conveying the idea of remembering former times and old friends.
The lyrics are associated with the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who sent a version of the song to a Scottish musician in 1788. Burns drew on older Scots song and verse traditions, so he is best understood as the writer who shaped and preserved the familiar version rather than necessarily inventing every line from nothing.
The melody became widely associated with New Year’s celebrations during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. English-speaking communities around the world adopted it for midnight gatherings, farewells, reunions, and other moments of transition. Performances often use only selected verses, and the words may vary slightly between versions.
“Auld Lang Syne” is not a Christmas carol, although it can appear during the broader winter holiday season. Its New Year connection comes from its themes of friendship, memory, and marking a passage from one year to another.