Robert Burns wrote “Auld Lang Syne,” the traditional song often sung at New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Burns, Scotland’s national poet, wrote down a version of the song in 1788. He said the words came partly from an older Scottish song, so he is best understood as the poet who preserved and shaped the familiar version rather than necessarily inventing every line.
The title is Scots for “old long since,” meaning times gone by or fond memories of the past. The song’s theme of friendship and remembrance made it especially suitable for marking a year’s end.
Its melody and lyrics spread internationally during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. People commonly associate it only with midnight, but it is also used at farewells, memorials, graduations, and other moments of transition.