Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote the best-known version of “Auld Lang Syne,” which was published posthumously in 1796.
Burns sent a version of the poem to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. He described the words as being based partly on an older song, so the familiar lyrics are not generally treated as an entirely new composition created from nothing. His contribution gave the piece its enduring literary form.
The song's title means “old long since” in Scots and asks whether old acquaintances and shared memories should be forgotten. That theme explains its later association with farewells, reunions, and the turning of the year.
The melody now commonly used was paired with the words through later publishing and performance traditions. This is why the song can be confidently linked to Burns while still having older textual and musical roots.