Robert Burns wrote the poem that helped popularize “Auld Lang Syne” for New Year's Eve celebrations.
Burns sent a version of the words to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788, describing it as an old song that had been collected and adapted. The title is Scots for “old long since,” commonly understood as referring to old times or memories.
The familiar melody was paired with the words in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, and the song gradually spread beyond Scotland. It became especially associated with farewells, reunions, and the moment when one year gives way to another.
Burns did not necessarily invent every line or the tune. Earlier Scottish fragments contain related phrases, which is why historians describe his work as an important version and popularizer rather than an entirely original creation. The song is now sung internationally, often with linked hands.