Auld Lang Syne

'Auld Lang Syne' is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 an set tae the tuin o a tradeetional fowk sang. It is weel kent warldwide an is aften sang for tae celebrate the stairt o the new year at the straik o midnicht on Ne'er's Day.

Auld Lang Syne manuscript

Leerics

Maist common uiss o the sang involves anerly the first verse an the owerwird. Confuision aboot the exact meanin o the wirds haes led tae a common uiss o 'For the sake o' or 'For the days o' in the last line, maugre o this no bein pairt o the tradeetional leeric.

It shoud be merkit that Burns uises the apologetic apostrophe in his leerics, thon is nou conseedered no richt. Mony o Burns' spellins is mair anglifee'd an/or speceefic tae his dialect. Baith the oreeginal and the modren (see RRSSC) spellins is gien ablo.

Complete leerics

Modren Scots spellin

Burns' oreeginal Scots verse[1]

Shoud auld acquentance be forgot, An niver brocht tae mind? Shoud auld acquentance be forgot, An auld lang syne OWERWIRD: For auld lang syne, my jo, For auld lang syne, We’ll tak a cup o kindness yet, For auld lang syne. An shuirly ye'll be your pint-stowp! An shuirly A'll be mine! An we'll tak a cup o kindness yet, For auld lang syne. OWERWIRD We twa hae rin aboot the braes, An poued the gowans fine; But we've wandert mony a weary fit, Sin auld lang syne. OWERWIRD We twa hae paidelt in the burn, Frae mornin sun till dine; But seas atween us braid hae raired Sin auld lang syne. OWERWIRD An thare's a haund, ma trusty fere! An gie's a haund o thine! An we'll tak a richt guidwilly waucht, For auld lang syne. OWERWIRD

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brocht to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne? CHORUS: 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. CHORUS 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. CHORUS We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn, Frae morning sun till dine; But seas between us braid hae roar'd Sin auld lang syne. CHORUS And there'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. CHORUS

Uiss

At New Year

'Auld Lang Syne' is for ordinar sung ilka year at midnicht atween Hogmanay an Ne'er Day) in the Unitit Kinrick, the Republic o Ireland, the Unitit States, Australie, New Zealand, Sooth Africae, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canadae, an Inglish-speakin airts o Indie, Bangladesh an Pakistan, an signifees the stairt o a new year.

In Scotland, it is aften sung at the end o a céilidh or a dance. It is common practice that awbody jynes haunds wi the body neist thaim for tae mak a muckle circle aboot the dance fluir. At the beginnin o the last verse, awbodie crosses thair airms athort thair breest, sae that the richt haund raxes oot tae the neebour on the left an vice versa. Whan the tuin ends, awbody breinges tae the middle, whan aye haudin haunds. Whan the circle is re-estaiblished, awbody turns unner the airms for tae end up facin ootwart wi the haunds still jyned. Ootwi Scotland the haunds is aften crossed frae the beginnin o the sang at variance wi the Scots haunt.

The Scots haunt wis demonstrate by the Queen at the Millennium Dome celebrations for the year 2000. The Inglish press beratit her for no "properly" crossin her airms, unawaur that she was richt.^[2][3]