Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?
Chorus
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.
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.
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.
Robert Burns 1759-1796
A song of friendship and salutation which is recognised across the English-speaking world, the Burns song we know and love to sing on Burns's Night and at New Year was by no means the first of its kind. Burns never claimed to be the original author. He said he transcribed it `from an old man's singing', but a similar `Auld Lang Syne' tune was actually printed circa 1700 and is therefore certain to be much older. The Burns version was adapted by Thomson (probably with Burns's acquiescence) but Johnson had already reprinted Allan Ramsay's `Auld Lang Syne' (a different tune set to a love song rather than a song of parting) in Vol I of James Johnson's `Scots Musical Museum' (SMM) in 1787. The timeless Burns gem still treasured to this day had to wait for publication until after the Burn's death and appeared in Vol V of SMM in 1796.
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