We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne
I have sung the familiar tune every midnight of every New Year's Eve for as long as I can remember, fumbling my way through the unfamiliar verses, admittedly most of them.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?
Until (too) recently, I could have even sworn we were singing, "for old man time". But as we say goodbye to 2017 and ring in a new, wiser year, I thought it was time to better understand this annual tradition. Enter Wikipedia.
Autographed manuscript of "Auld Lang Syne" within a letter dated 9/1793 from Robert Burns (1759–1796) to George Thomson. |
I won't repeat here what you can more easily read for yourself on the glorious interweb, but my newfound understanding is that the song invokes appreciation for auld lang syne, or --loosely translated--"days gone by."
So for all of the special people, bright sunsets, belly laughs, midnight walks on the beach, good advice, delicious food, job changes, sunny days and rainy days, birthday candles, flowers, travels, learnings, and adventures that made it a year to appreciate, I raise a glass to 2017, for auld lang syne.