Original Version

“Aud Lang Syne” is a Scottish folk song whose lyrics are a poem written in 1788 by Robert Burns, one of the most popular Scottish poets. It is sung with a traditional Scottish melody, that is, folk and therefore anonymous.

The melody with which it is usually sung is a pentatonic folk melody, probably from a lively dance with a much faster tempo.

It originally had another melody, dating back to 1700 and was considered "mediocre" by Robert Burns.

"Auld lang syne", in Scottish, literally means "a long time ago"; although it translates more appropriately as "for the old days."

The song begins by asking a rhetorical question: Is it right that old times are forgotten?

The answer is usually interpreted as a call to remember great past friendships.

In the "Scout" movement, this song is known as the "Farewell Song".

It is often used in solemn moments, such as those in which someone says goodbye, begins or ends a long journey through time, a funeral, and so on. It is traditionally sung at the end of New Year's Eve meetings in Scotland and around the world, especially in English-speaking countries.

The song has been translated into many languages, and is widely sung around the world.

The song's pentatonic scale matches the scales used in Korea, Japan, India, China, and other Asian countries, which facilitated its "nationalization" in the East.

The strong message and association of the song and its melody with the farewells have made it a staple for movie soundtracks from the beginnings of cinema to the present day; a large number of episodes of movies and television series used it as a background, in general, but not exclusively, to evoke the New Year.

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