Millions sing it each year on New Year's. What are the lyrics and meaning to 'Auld Lang Syne'?

Each year when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's, people around the world sing one song in unison. 

"Auld Lang Syne" has long been a hit at New Year's parties in the U.S. as people join together to ring in the new year, but experts note the tune has a long history that didn’t originate in America.

Scottish poet Robert Burns first wrote “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788 and sent it to the Scots Musical Museum. But when submitting it, Burns noted that the poem already existed and he was just the first to record it on paper, according to Scotland.org.

In the centuries since, Burns’ poem has grown into a New Year’s staple, says Travis Alexander, a professor in North Carolina A&T State University’s College of Art, Humanities and Social Sciences.

As a song, “Auld Lang Syne” first became popularized in the U.S. in 1929, when bandleader Guy Lombardo and his brothers performed it, Alexander said. The brothers had a band, The Royal Canadians, and performed it on a radio show at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.

“Every year at the stroke of midnight, he would do this,” Alexander told USA TODAY. “It became an expected staple every year at midnight for him and his band to perform this live over the radio.”

Even after Dick Clark's “New Year's Rockin' Eve” launched in the 1970s, Lombardo still hosted New Year’s specials on CBS and later its sister station, reported the Associated Press. 

Lombardo last performed the song in 1976 before passing away in November 1977, just weeks before the New Year rang in.

‘Auld Lang Syne’ lyrics, meaning

According to Alexander, “Auld Lang Syne” is pronounced “Old Lang Zyne.” 

“Auld” is a Scottish way of saying “old,” he said, noting that the song's English translation is “For Old Time’s Sake.”

In its original form, the poem contains three verses, Alexander said, but the song as we know it contains only one of the verses. 

Most people only know the first verse and chorus, according to Scotland.org:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne.

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.

The song poses a question for those parting ways with the previous year, Alexander said.

“How should we remember our friends and our experiences of the year?” he said. “That's when the phrase comes in ‘For auld lang syne.'”

The song’s chorus ends with a suggestion.

“You forget all those crazy things,” Alexander said. “It's done. The year is over. Whatever, whoever you're mad at … let's just share a cup of kindness for old times sake. Let's let it go.”

As for the poem’s verses that aren’t typically belted out on New Year’s, they are likely left out because they’re less applicable to life today and aren’t as easy to understand for those unfamiliar with the Scottish language, Alexander said, calling the included verse “timeless."

Alexander said perhaps one part in particular should be kept at the forefront of people’s minds this holiday season:

And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,

For auld lang syne. 

“They sing it so quickly, but kindness is a word that is used in the ‘Auld Lang Syne’ in the chorus,” he said. “Really look at the lyrics and just start the new year off with kindness, as the song says.”

Other popular songs for the New Year

Alexander called the New Year’s song one of the most widely recognized songs around the world, behind "Happy Birthday." When people hear it, they know it, regardless of cultural background or language, he said.

Among the popular covers or renditions of “Auld Land Syne” that exist, one of the most popular is Rod Stewart’s 2012 version, he said.

“Not many people will touch it,” Alexander said. “They will sing it on New Year's Eve … but I don't think they have recorded it."

There is also a jazz song called “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” that was popularized in the 1950s, he said.

Ella Fitzgerald recorded the song for her 1960 album “Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas.”

“It's a great staple, especially among the jazz crowd,” Alexander said. “That's what they slow drag to when the New Year comes in at those parties.”

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].