Auld Lang Syne
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"Auld Lang Syne" (Scots; lit., “old long since”, although might be better translated as “old long ago”, “times gone by”, or “days gone by”) is a poem by Robert Burns, and one of the best known songs in English-speaking countries. Yet, perhaps because it was originally written in the Scots language, often people can recall the melody easily but know only a fraction of the words. The song is commonly accompanied by a traditional dance. The group who are singing form a ring holding hands for the first verse. For the second verse, arms are crossed and again linked. For the third verse everyone moves in to the centre of the ring and then out again.
"Auld Lang Syne" is usually sung each year on New Year's Eve (Hogmanay in Scotland) in the United Kingdom, The Republic of Ireland, the United States, Australia, and English speaking Canada at midnight and signifies the start of a new year. Also, in many Burns Clubs, it is sung to end the Burns supper. It is used as a graduation song and a funeral song in Taiwan, symbolizing an end or a goodbye. The latter almost certainly originates in Japan in the Japanese song "Hotaru no Hikari" ("Firefly’s Light") which was explicitly created by the Meiji regime as a graduation song (from which the other uses flowed). In the Philippines, it is well known and sung at celebrations like graduations, New Year and Christmas Day. In Japan, many stores play it to usher customers out at the end of a business day, and the tune is sung at graduations. In the United Kingdom, it is played at the close of the annual Congress (conference) of the Trades Union Congress. Before the composition of Aegukga, the lyrics of Korea’s national anthem was sung to the tune of this song. Also, before 1972, it was the tune for the Gaumii salaam anthem of The Maldives (with the current words). The University of Virginia’s fight song ("The Good Old Song") also carries the same tune. In Portugal, Spain and Germany this song is used to mark a farewell, especially in the Boy Scout movement. It is also featured in the Animal Crossing game for Nintendo Gamecube every New Year's Eve.
It has also been used on other occasions as a farewell. One occasion that falls in this category was in October 2000, when the body of former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau left Parliament Hill in Ottawa for the last time, going to Montreal for the state funeral.
Lyrics
In the Scots language, Syne is pronounced like the English word sign — IPA: [sajn]—not zine [zajn] as many people pronounce it.
| Burns’ verse: Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne ?
And surely I’ll be mine ! And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
and pou’d the gowans fine ; But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit, sin’ auld lang syne.
frae morning sun till dine ; But seas between us braid hae roar’d sin’ auld lang syne.
And gies a hand o’ thine ! And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught, for auld lang syne.
| Anglicized translation: Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind ? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne ?
And surely I’ll get mine ! And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
and pulled the daisies fine ; But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.
from morning sun till dine ; But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.
And give us a hand o’ thine ! And we’ll take a right good-friendly draught, for auld lang syne.
|
by Collins Clear-Type Press in 1947, and sold at Burns’ Cottage.
See external links for variations of the original lyrics.
History
“Auld Lang Syne” was transcribed, had two new verses added to it, and was published by the Scottish poet Robert Burns, based on earlier Scots ballads. Robert Burns forwarded a copy of the original song to the Scots Musical Museum with the remark, “The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man's singing, is enough to recommend any air.” The tune Burns suggested is not the tune we use today.Singing the song on Hogmanay or New Year’s Day is a Scottish custom. As Scots emigrated around the world, they took the song with them.
Bandleader Guy Lombardo popularized the association of the song with New Year's celebrations, through his annual broadcasts on radio and TV, beginning in 1929. However, he did not invent or first introduce the custom. The ProQuest newspaper archive has articles going back to 1896 that describe revellers on both sides of the Atlantic singing the song to usher in the New Year. Two examples:
- The New York Times, January 5, 1896, p. 10.
- Washington Post, January 2, 1910, p. 12.
Other uses
In the Indian Armed Forces the band plays this song as the farewell song, during the passing out parade of the recruits. The recruits would be marching in slow time when the tune is played.In Japan, the Japanese song “Hotaru no hikari” ("Glow of a Firefly") uses the Auld Lang Syne tune. This song is sung as a song of the separation in the graduation ceremony etc. Most Japanese know this song. This song was created during the Meiji period as part of an effort to create a body of songs for children to learn in school. An American educator was brought in as part of this effort, and various Scottish tunes were used, but applied to completely different Japanese lyrics/poems. In the case of “Hotaru no hikari”, the words are a series of images of hardships that the industrious student endures in his relentless quest for knowledge, starting with the firefly’s light, which the student uses to keep studying when he has no other light sources.
The University of Virginia fight song (“The Good Old Song”) is sung to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne”.
The meter of this song (technically “common meter double” or 8-6-8-6-8-6-8-6) is identical to that of “America the Beautiful”. The two songs can be sung perfectly with lyrics interchanged.
The song is sung by James Stewart, Donna Reed, et al. during the emotion-filled closing scene of the movie It's a Wonderful Life.
Popular songwriter George M. Cohan referenced it at the end of this song's chorus:
- But should auld acquaintance be forgot / Keep your eye on the Grand Old Flag.
- I know a man whose name is Lang / And he has a neon sign / And Mr. Lang is very old / So they call it Old Lang’s Sign!
In his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language, Matthew Fitt uses the phrase “In the days of auld lang syne” as the equivalent of “Once upon a time”.
It has become the main theme song (imposed mostly preceding commercials) of the eternally popular annual American New Year's show, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve which has aired live from New York City’s Times Square on ABC since December 31, 1972. As the 21st century and the “era of our youth” emerged, a rock version of the song was used instead of the initial, soft and slow piano version which it first was composed as in music history.
The famous Dutch singer André Hazes used the melody of “Auld Lang Syne”, for the Dutch football song, “Wij houden van Oranje” (We love Orange). After the colour orange, which is the colour of the Dutch Royal family.
It was used as the theme song in the 1940 movie Waterloo Bridge.
It was used as part of the melody for Jib Jab's "2-0-5" parody of George W. Bush's connections with the year 2005.
Songwriter Dan Fogelberg included this melody at the end of his song “Same Auld lang Syne” from the album The Innocent Age (1981, Epic Records); the soprano saxophone carries the tune and is played by Michael Brecker.
Billy Joel sang this song at the Millennium Concert on December 31, 1999.
The anthem of Alpha Kappa Psi, the largest professional business fraternity in the US, is sung to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne".
In France, the melody is used with French words and the parting song is entitled "Ce n’est qu’un au revoir" ("This is only goodbye").
The chorus to John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is essentially identical with the tune of Auld Lang Syne.
One of many altered versions of the song is a drinking song, sung in pubs in Ireland, Scotland and England. The American Celtic punk band, the Dropkick Murphys, recorded this version.
External links
- [Several sets of words and tunes at Digital Tradition]
- ["Auld Lang Syne" translation into English]
- [A translation of the words into English]
- [Easybyte] - free easy piano score for "Auld Lang Syne"
- ["Auld Lang Syne" from The Burns Encyclopedia]
- ["Auld Lang Syne" association with Guy Lombardo and New Year celebrations]
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