Which poet is traditionally credited with writing the words to “Auld Lang Syne”?

Robert Burns is traditionally credited with writing the words to “Auld Lang Syne.”

The Scottish poet sent a version of the song to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788, describing it as an old song he had heard from an older man. Burns’s text drew on earlier Scottish verses and oral tradition, so he is generally credited with preserving and shaping the familiar lyrics rather than inventing every line from nothing.

The title means “old long since,” commonly understood as “for old times’ sake.” The song asks whether old friendships and memories should be forgotten, making it a natural fit for a year-end farewell. Its melody was paired with the lyrics in the form widely known today during the nineteenth century.

“Auld Lang Syne” became especially prominent in New Year celebrations through bandleader Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, whose broadcasts made the midnight performance famous in North America. It is not Scotland’s national anthem, although its international New Year association is strongly linked with Scottish culture.