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Auld Lang Syne

[ Roud 13892 ; Ballad Index FSWB381B ; Bodleian Roud 13892 ; trad.]

Jean Redpath sang Auld Lang Syne on her 1980 album The Songs of Robert Burns Volume 2. Serge and Esther Hovey noted:

Light be the turf on the breast of the heaven-inspired Poet who composed this glorious Fragment! There is more of the fire of native genius in it, than in half a dozen of modem English Bacchanalians.

– [Robert Burns in a] letter to Mrs. Dunlop, 7th December, 1788

Burns described Auld Lang Syne as “an old song and tune which has often thrilled thro’ my soul.” Drawing upon this traditional song, he shaped the verses known throughout the world. They are usually sung, however, to a tune which George Thomson, editor of Scotish Airs, carelessly selected, three years after the poet’s death, in 1799. Here is the traditional tune for which the famous verses were originally intended to be matched.

Burns’s first draft, mailed to Mrs. Dunlop, had begun with the words:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never thought upon.

A revised, second draft went to James Johnson, editor of Scots Musical Museum.

The Tannahill Weavers sang Auld Lang Syne in 1981 on their Plant Life album Tannahill Weavers IV. They noted:

This has to be the most famous of all Robert Burns’ songs. The ‘known’ version is normally associated with the Scottish New Year festivities or a nostalgic end to an evening’s revelries.

It is sad to say that the beauty and sadness of the lyric is usually forgotten, glossed over or, at best, never conveyed by the popular melody. It is to be hoped that this version carries the story line to the listener as much as it does to us.

The Cast (Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis) sang Auld Lang Syne in 1993 on their Culburnie album The Winnowing. This is probably the widest-known recorded version of this song as it was used (with added string) for the soundtrack of the 2008 motion picture Sex and the City. This video shows Mairi Campbell at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2008:

Gill Bowman sang Auld Lang Syne in 1994 on her selection of the love songs of Robert Burns, the Greentrax CD Toasting the Lassies.

Carol Laula and George Drennan sang Auld Lang Syne in 1996 on Ron Shaw’s album of songs of Robert Burns, Pride and Passion.

Rod Paterson sang Auld Lang Syne on his 1996 Greentrax album of songs by Robert Burns, Songs From the Bottom Drawer.

Ronnie Browne sang Auld Lang Syne in 1997 on Volume 3 of the Linn Records anthology The Complete Songs of Robert Burns.

Eddi Reader sang Auld Lang Syne in 2003 on her CD The Songs of Robert Burns.

Fairport Convention sang Auld Lang Syne in 2004 on their CD Over the Next Hill.

Jim Malcolm sang Auld Lang Syne on his 2007 album of songs of Robert Burns, Acquaintance, and in 2010 on his Robert Burns DVD Bard Hair Day. He noted:

This is the most sung song ever, next to Happy Birthday to You. I’ve recorded it to the original tune and I like to sing the more popular tune too if given half the chance.

Ed Miller and Karine Polwart sang Auld Lang Syne on his 2009 CD of songs written or collected by Robert Burns, Lyrics of Gold.

Ewan McLennan sang Auld Lang Syne in 2010 on his Fellside CD Rags & Robes. He commented in his sleeve notes:

I found myself playing around with this tune without being conscious of it one day approaching the New Year, and suddenly realising what a beautiful melody it has. I went from there, changed it slightly, and here we are.

Ian Bruce and Ian Walker sang Auld Lang Syne on the 2014 Greentrax anthology The Scottish Diaspora.

The Australian quartet Co-cheòl augmented by Matthew Lykos sang Auld Lang Syne in 2016 on their CD Stay a While. They noted:

We fell in love with the original version of Auld Lang Syne and were inspired [to] do our own version for the 2015 Woodword Folk Festival, where the opportunity to perform it at New Year could not have been more perfect.

Robyn Stapleton sang Auld Lang Syne on her 2017 CD Songs of Robert Burns. She noted:

Burns said: “the following song, an old song of olden times, and which has never been in print… until I took it down from an old man’s singing”. Here, the words are sung to their original melody.

June Tabor sang Auld Lang Syne in 2017 on Quercus’ second album, Nightfall.

Finest Kind sang Auld Lang Syne on their 2018 Christmas album I Am Christmas. They noted:

Ian [Robb] learned this setting of Auld Lang Syne from the soundtrack of the movie Sex and the City, sung by Mairi Campbell. The words are usually attributed to Robert Burns, though Burns himself wrote that he had heard them from an old singer. An auld acquaintance, no doubt.

Fiona Ross sang Auld Lang Syne in 2020 on her and Shane O’Mara’s CD Sunwise Turn. She noted:

As with many of his compositions, Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne from older fragments. This is the tune he wrote the words for. It is a beautiful song that celebrates the deep bonds of friendship across time and distance. It has come to mean even more to me since I moved to Australia, with many loved ones back home in Scotland.

Iona Fyfe sang Auld Lang Syne at Hogmanay 2020, sponsored by St Andrew’s Society of Toronto:

Danish vocal quartet Høst sang Auld Lang Syne on their 2023 album Fuglesang.

Adam Holmes sang Auld Lang Syne on his 2024 album The Voice of Scotland.

Lyrics

The Tannahill Weavers sing Auld Lang Syne

We twa hae rin aboot the braes
And pu’d the gowans fine
We’ve wandered many’s the weary step
Since auld lang syne

We twa he paidled in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine
But seas between us brade he roared
Since auld lang syne

Aye and surely you’ll be your pint stoup
And surely I’ll be mine
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne

So here’s a hand my trusty frien’
And here’s a haud o’ thine
We’ll drink a right guid wullie waught
For the sake o’ auld lang syne

For auld lang syne my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet
For the sake o’ auld lang syne

Mairi Campbell sings Auld Lang Syne

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

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pow’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fitt,
Sin auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie’s a hand o thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie-waught,
For auld lang syne.

English translation

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
And old times?

Chorus (repeated after each verse):
For old times, my dear,
For old times,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For old times.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
And surely I’ll buy mine!
And we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For old times.

We two have run about the slopes,
And picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
Since old times.

We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till dawn;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since old times.

And there’s a hand, my trusty friend!
And give us a hand o thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will drink,
For old times.