“Auld Lang Syne” is the song traditionally sung at midnight on New Year's Eve.
The title uses Scots words meaning “old long since,” or more naturally, “for old times' sake.” The song's themes are friendship, remembrance, and shared experiences, which make it suitable for marking a transition from one year to the next.
Scottish poet Robert Burns is credited with writing down and adapting the best-known version in 1788, drawing on older Scots verses and traditional material. The melody now widely used became internationally familiar through later musical circulation.
The song is not exclusive to New Year's Eve. It is also used at farewells, graduations, funerals, and other moments of closure. Lyrics and performance customs differ around the world, and many English-speaking crowds know only the chorus or first verse. Its association with midnight celebrations became especially strong through twentieth-century broadcasts and public parties.