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Graphic from
The Grand Lodge of Scotland
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak' a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your pint-stoup
And surely I'll be mine;
And we'll tak' a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
Chorus
We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
Chorus
We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roared',
Sin' auld lang syne,
Chorus
And there's a hand, my trusty frier!
And gie's a hand o'thine!
And we'll tak' a right guide-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
Chorus
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The following verses are a translation of Auld Lang Syne into modern English:
The Days of Yore
Should we forget our former friends
By whom we set great store?
Should we forget the friends we've met
And the brave days of yore?
Chorus:
The days of yore. My dear
The days of yore,
We'll tilt the jug and drain the mug
to the brave days of yore.
I fancy you could sink a pint
And I'll take rather more
And we'll both get tight with all our might
For the brave days of yore.
Chorus
We two have wandered on the hills
And daisies pulled galore
But we've tired our feet on many a street
Since the brave days of yore.
Chorus
We two have paddled in the brook
From noon to half-past four
But seas have lain betwixt us twain
Since the brave days of yore.
Chorus
So let us grasp each other's hand
And, as I said before
Our hearts we'll cheer with honest beer
For the brave days of yore.
Chorus
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Lodges in Texas, Georgia and parts of Alabama sing a "Funeral Dirge"
(lyrics) to the tune
of "Auld Lang Syne".
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THE STORY OF AULD LANG SYNE
Undoubtedly, millions of people throughout the
world will sing Auld Lang Syne to see out 1995.
Few will know all the words and fewer still what they mean.
They are attributed to Robert Burns who apparently picked up the tune and some of the words
from an old man singing in the dialect of southwest Scotland. Auld Lang Syne has become the
international song of departure, and is sung by
more people than any other.
The possibility is that Burns only wrote two of the
five verses. But, as he did with numerous other
Scottish songs, he modified them and, in some
cases, purified them.
It seems likely that the song was first sung either in
Poosie Nancy's Tavern in Mauchline, or the
Bachelors Club in Tarbolton located a few miles
away.
The song was initially centred on two young men
who drifted apart after their early schooling, and
who, after re-uniting, reminisced about their earlier
times together, the happy experiences they had together and the kindly folk they met.
When Burns became a Freemason at the age of 23 he quickly absorbed the superb symbolism of the Craft.
Conviviality was, for Burns, one of the most important virtues. For him, Auld Lang Syne is a concrete expression of his love of mankind and his ideal of International Brotherhood.
The Masonic routine is to from a circle in which
everyone is equidistant from the centre, demonstrating they are all equal. In this regard, the practice adopted in some lodges by placing the masters or other distinguished brethren in the centre defeats
the purpose of the ceremony associated with the song.
At the beginning of the song the brethren stand with hands by their sides, symbolising they are relative strangers.
The early verses should be sung (or hummed)
very softly as brethren reflect both on cherished
memories of earlier times together and on those
brethren who have since passed to the Grand Lodge Above.
When they come to the last verse, "And there's a hand, my trusty frier (friend)...", each brother then extends his right hand of fellowship to the brother on his left, then the left hand to the brother on his
right.
This symbolises two things: firstly, that they are crossing their hearts; secondly, that they automatically form a smaller and more intimate circle of friendship. Now they have an unbroken chain of brethren who are close friends.
The tempo should then rise and, to the tapping of feet, all enthusiastically sing the final chorus.
At non-Masonic functions the foregoing routine should be followed as far as is practicable. If necessary, small circles can be fommed around tables.
At Scottish functions they usually wind up by singing "O we're no' awa' tae bide awa'," form a "snake" and move round the hall in increasingly smaller circles. Then the leader reverses the movement and all participants revert to a large circle.
The preceding is excerpted from an article that appeared in the Autumn, 1995 issue of the VICTORIAN FREEMASON, written by T. G. Patterson. It was reprinted as a Short Talk Bulletin in the Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry by Brother Bruno Gazzo
R. W. Bro. Patterson, the founder of Victoria's
Rhetoric Lodge of Communication #831, is a noted
authority on Robert Burns. He was born in Mauchline, Ayrshire,
where "Auld Lang Syne" had its genesis.
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Hear more Scottish heritage music at Mount Scotia.
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