Robert Burns wrote the words most commonly sung in “Auld Lang Syne” at New Year's celebrations.
Burns, Scotland's national poet, sent a version of the song to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. He explained that he had collected an older traditional song and added or shaped lines himself, so the modern lyric combines folk material with Burns's literary contribution.
The Scots phrase “auld lang syne” means “old long since,” or more naturally, “for old times' sake.” The song asks whether old friends and familiar memories should be forgotten, then turns that question into a toast to enduring friendship.
The melody now associated with the words became widely known during the nineteenth century. Although it is especially linked with midnight on December 31, “Auld Lang Syne” is also used at farewells, graduations, memorials, and other moments of transition.