On New Year’s Eve in many parts of the world, this text is commonly sung to a tune other than the one used in this arrangement. However, the tune used here predates the one used today and is said to have been preferred by Burns himself.
The phrase “Auld Lang Syne” literally translates to “old long since,” but paraphrases such as “for old time’s sake” and “to the good old days” more directly capture its spirit and meaning. Above all, the song speaks to the value of old friends, despite the fact that life circumstances and people themselves are ever changing.