Why is Robert Burns associated with “Auld Lang Syne”?

Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, is associated with “Auld Lang Syne” because he first wrote down the lyrics in 1788. While Burns noted that he transcribed the words “from an old man’s singing,” the song has been attributed to him ever since it was published in the Scots Musical Museum following his death in 1796.12

Although poems with similar themes existed prior to Burns—such as works by Sir Robert Ayton and Allan Ramsay—it was Burns’s version that became the definitive text. The familiar melody, which also predates Burns, was first paired with his lyrics in an 18th-century song compilation by George Thomson. Over time, the song became a staple of the Scottish Hogmanay festival and eventually a global tradition for New Year’s Eve, bolstered in the 20th century by the broadcasts of bandleader Guy Lombardo.21