Auld Lang Syne
R. Burns


Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes
And pu'd the gowans fine
But we've wander'd mony a weary foot
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl't in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stoup
And surely I'll be mine
And we'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

And here's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine;
And we'll tak' a right gude-willy waught,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne
We'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

Auld Lang Syne
Anonymous


Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Tho' they return with scars?
These are a noble hero's lot,
Obtain'd in glorious wars;

Welcome, my Varo, to my breast,
Thy arms about me twine,
And make me once again as blest,
As I was lang syne.

O'er moor and dale with your gay friend
You may pursue the chase,
And after a blythe bottle end
All cares in my embrace.

And in a vacant rainy day
You shall be wholly mine:
We'll make the hours run smooth away
And laugh at lang syne.

Shall Monarchy be quite forgot,
And of it no more heard?
Antiquity be razed about
And slav'ry put in stead?

Is Scotsman's blood now grown so cold,
The valor of their mind,
That they can never once reflect
On old lang syne?

Midi sequenced by Barry Taylor

Described by Burns as 'a song of olden times'. He wrote only two of the verses in the late 18th century. The others are original, passed down from singing parent to listening child. Music was vital to Burns in capturing old songs and he taught himself to play the fiddle to enable him to pick out and record the tunes, which he did by noting down his fingering on paper. Without this many old folk-songs would have been lost to us. The handclasp in the last verse is the emblem of brotherhood amongst men. What other song commands such universal homage worldwide? What gathering would be considered properly wound up without the rendering of Auld Lang Syne as a finale? And who, with Scottish blood in their veins, would welcome in a New Year without it? It should be remembered that it was originally a general song of parting. In 1929, on New Year's Eve, Guy Lombardo decided to play it and so it became associated with New Year.

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