New Yearâ??s â?? as the clock strikes midnight, we pop open the champagne, watch the Times Square ball drop, kiss our loved ones, and sing the well-known Scottish poem-turned-song. But why? None of the lyrics invoke the arrival of January 1st.
Using lyrics of an older ballad, the Scottish Romantic poet Robert Burns penned the famous verses in 1788. The words would be only be modified for non-Scots to understand, and the song is still widely sung around the world, particularly in English-speaking countries.
As Sally explains to Harry in a famous 1989 romantic comedy, â??Auld Lang Syneâ? is about remembering old friends. The lyrics ask whether we should forget our memories of the past and of those we knew: "Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?" No, we should remember and raise a toast to the past: â??For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.â?
In 2011, Peggy Noonan wrote a wonderful column about the song where she recounted its meaning and what it meant to different people. My favorite answer comes from outgoing U.S. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma: "I think it's a description of the things we lose in our hurry to do things. We forget to be a friend. We have to take the time to make friends and be friends, to sit and tell stories and listen to those of others."
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