Robert Burns wrote the poem that popularized “Auld Lang Syne” for New Year's celebrations.
Burns, Scotland's national poet, sent a version of the song to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788. The Scots phrase “auld lang syne” means roughly “old long since,” or memories of times gone by. The lyrics ask whether old friendships should be forgotten and answer with a celebration of shared remembrance.
Burns probably drew on older Scottish folk material rather than inventing every line and tune from nothing. His literary version, however, became the best-known form and helped establish the song internationally. A familiar melody was paired with the words in later musical tradition.
The song became especially linked with New Year's Eve during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is also sung at farewells, reunions, graduations, and other transitions. Pronunciation and wording vary across countries, but the central theme remains friendship and remembrance.