Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote the lyrics of “Auld Lang Syne,” the song often sung at New Year’s celebrations.
Burns sent a version of the poem to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788, saying that he had taken down the words from an old person and that the song was partly traditional. The poem uses Scots language, with “auld lang syne” meaning “old long since” or, more naturally, “times gone by.”
The melody now associated with the words was printed with the song in the late eighteenth century, although related tunes and verses existed earlier. The song became especially popular in English-speaking countries during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Many people know only the opening and closing lines, and versions differ by country. It is not exclusively a New Year’s song: it is also used at farewells, graduations, memorials, and other endings.