For Days Gone By: "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns

Christmas bauble for "Auld Lang Syne: photo credit

Everyone knows we play this song at the New Year, but what does "Auld Lang Syne" mean?

The song is by Scottish poet Robert Burns (who also wrote the lines "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley").

The Scottish "auld lang syne" is translated literally "old long since," that is to say "old, old times" or "days gone by."

Take a look at the words in Scottish on Wikipedia.

Freegal has lots of versions of “Auld Lang Syne” available for download.

You can find versions by Barbra Streisand, Drums and Tuba, Banjo Christmas, Guitar Christmas, Romantic Christmas, Washingrton Saxophone Quartet, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (be sure you like bagpipes for this one), Tropical Steel Band, and a Celtic version by Shanon. 

“Thou and I shall see him dine”: “Good King Wenceslas on the album Piano Christmas

Photo: Gryffindor

This carol has a special place in my heart. I remember my mother singing it to my sister and me before we went to sleep.

We lived in a little 8’X23’ trailer house in a windswept mountain valley.

I was always intrigued by the thought of the king looking out of his grand palace and deciding to go out into the snow to take food, wine, and fuel to a poor man in the country.

Freegal has dozens and dozens of renditions of the song. I like the meditative piano version by Randy Klein.

But you can get it in all kinds of styles. Give a listen to Dixieland Ramblers, Mambo Folk, Tropical Steel Band and Columba Mistrels (celtic.)

(There is also one by a group called “Jingle Punx.” But I don’t recommend that one unless you’re really angry this Christmas.)