Katana VentraIP

Auld Lang Syne

"Auld Lang Syne" (Scots pronunciation: [ˈɔːl(d) lɑŋ ˈsəi̯n])[a][1] is a popular Scottish song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve/Hogmanay. By extension, it is also often heard at funerals, graduations, and as a farewell or ending to other occasions; for instance, many branches of the Scouting movement use it to close jamborees and other functions.[2][3]

For other uses, see Auld Lang Syne (disambiguation).

The text is a Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1788[4][5] but based on an older Scottish folk song. In 1799, it was set to a traditional tune, which has since become standard. "Auld Lang Syne" is listed as numbers 6294 and 13892 in the Roud Folk Song Index.


The poem's Scots title may be translated into standard English as "old long since" or, less literally, "long long ago",[6] "days gone by", "times long past" or "old times". Consequently, "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as "for the sake of old times".


The phrase "Auld Lang Syne" is also used in similar poems by Robert Ayton (1570–1638), Allan Ramsay (1686–1757), and James Watson (1711), as well as older folk songs predating Burns.[7]


In modern times, Matthew Fitt uses the phrase "in the days of auld lang syne" as the equivalent of "once upon a time" in his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language.[8]

In Scotland, it is often sung at the end of a , a dance, and at weddings. At weddings, it is performed in the same way as at New Year, but the bride and groom are often lifted up in the centre of the circle.

cèilidh

The tune is played, and sung by the crowd, in the final stages of the annual .

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

In many , it is sung at the end of the Burns supper.

Burns Clubs

In Great Britain, it is played at the close of the annual Congress (conference) of the . It is also usually the final song of the Liberal Democrat Glee Club.

Trades Union Congress

The song is sung at the end of the . Depending on whether an "official" performance is planned it may not be listed on the programme but in this case the audience will maintain the tradition and sing it themselves, with or without backup from the performers.[32]

Last Night of the Proms

The song is played at the Passing Out Parade of Young Officers in the as they march up the steps of the Britannia Royal Naval College; for Royal Air Force officers at Royal Air Force College Cranwell, and at the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for young officers joining the British Army, as the cadets march up the steps of their famous Old College building – to the beat of the slow march, after the tune "Will ye no come back?". This custom (or something very like it) is also followed in Naval and Military colleges in many other countries, especially members and former members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Examples include the Royal Military College of Canada, the Royal Military College (Malaysia), the National Defence Academy (India),[33] the Pakistan Military Academy, Bangladesh Military Academy, Sri Lanka Military Academy, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA-India) and at the equivalent colleges in Singapore, Burma and Nigeria.

Royal Navy

The song is very widely used by the international , where it is a popular closing song for jamborees and other occasions.[2][31][30]

Scout Movement

1929: and His Royal Canadians performed it on New Year's Eve for decades until at least 1977. The intro to Lombardo's 1947 Decca Records version is played in Times Square every New Year's immediately following the dropping of the ball.[41]

Guy Lombardo

1997: On 30 June, the day before was handed over from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, the tune was played by the silver and pipe bands from the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, at the departure of Hong Kong's 28th and last British Governor, Chris Patten, from his official residence, Government House, Hong Kong. It was also later played in the British Farewell Ceremony later that night when the last British troops of the Black Watch marched away from the Tamar, Hong Kong site. [42]

Hong Kong

2009: On 30 November – St. Andrew's Day – students and staff at the University of Glasgow sang the song in 41 languages simultaneously.

[43]

2015: On 25 March, the song was performed by a bagpiper from the 's Gurkha Contingent Pipes and Drums Platoon at The Istana as a form of respect to the late prime minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew during his state funeral.[44]

Singapore Police Force

2020: On 29 January, the song was sung by members of the when the Brexit withdrawal agreement was passed, ending the UK's membership in the European Union, finalised two days later on 31 January.[45]

European Parliament

2022: On 20 February, at 21:40 , the song was sung in Mandarin Chinese to mark the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics closing ceremony.[46]

CST

Image of Robert Burns' autograph manuscript

Archived 15 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine from the Robert Burns website at National Library of Scotland

Auld Lang Syne score

Digitised copy of in James Johnson's Scots Musical Museum, printed between 1787 and 1803, from National Library of Scotland. JPEG, PDF, and XML versions.

Auld Lang Syne

Archived 25 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine

Auld Lang Syne Sheet Music

Quartet Skaz, Moscow.

Auld Lang Syne on Russian folk instruments

. "Auld Lang Syne (in Scots)" (MP3). Retrieved 28 December 2007.

McKellar, Kenneth

Scotland on TV Auld Lang Syne video performance with lyrics

Article on songs variant perceptions

The complete poem by James Watson in the National Library of Scotland

Les Deux Love Orchestra Classic New Year's Eve Version (MP3)

An Early American "Auld Lang Syne"

. National Geographic – via YouTube.

"History of Auld Lang Syne"

at The Mudcat Cafe's "Digital Traditions"

Multiple versions and tunes

public domain audiobook at LibriVox (multiple versions)

Auld Lang Syne

at American Music Preservation.com

Song of the Old Folks