What Does ‘Auld Lang Syne’ Mean?

Playing Dan Fogelberg's 'Same Old Lang Syne' at the end of the New Year's Eve edition of the Polyester Power Hour got us talking about the traditional New Year's song and what it actually means. Do you know? Read on to find out...

According to Scotland.org, 'Auld Lang Syne'

... is one of the many folk songs from the great Lowland Scots tradition collected and fashioned by the pen of one of the world's greatest songwriters. (Robert) Burns devoted the last years of his life to the song tradition, and often a mere fragment from some old ballad was transformed by his alchemy into a memorable love song or Scots poem.

 

The translation is: 'Days gone by.'

Happy New Year from all of us at 99.9 KTDY!

Here's the traditional New Year's Eve song as sung in the movie 'It's a Wonderful Life':

Here's the Dan Fogelberg song from 1980: